200 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



cocoon, and also the internal anatomy of the thorax and abdomen can 

 be fairly well seen, and in time the process may be improved for 

 this work. With the aid of the Roentgen or X rays and the photo- 

 graphic plate one could make a picture of the neuration of the beautiful, 

 rare and curiously shaped Ornithoptera paradisecz and not disturb a 

 scale on its superb wings. With the fluoroscope one could doubtless see 

 all the neuration without even going to the trouble of making a picture. 

 This is indeed a wonderful age, and in the future no entomologist will 

 have any excuse for not studying the neuration of the lepidoptera, as he 

 cannot say that he must denude the wings of his specimens, bleach them 

 and mount in balsam as of old and thus destroy them. 



BOOK NOTICES. 

 Guide to the Genera and Classification of the North Ameri- 

 can Orthoptera. By S. H. Scudder : 8 vo., pp. 89. W. H. 

 Wheeler; Cambridge, 1897. (Price $1.00.) 



The above work, like all of Dr. Scudder's books, is exactly what the 

 title states. It is simply a guide for the use of students of the Orthoptera, 

 by means of which they may determine the genera of their specimens. 

 It consists of excellent and most carefully prepared tables of the seven 

 families into which the Orthoptera of North America are divided. These 

 are followed by most valuable bibliographical notes, in which the student 

 is referred under the head of each family of insects to all the works which 

 refer to it. Then follows a full list of all the works which refer to North 

 American Orthoptera, arranged alphabetically by authors and a complete 

 index. All who have attempted to study Orthoptera know how badly 

 such a book was wanted, and it is well for the science of entomology 

 that the work was done by such a careful and experienced hand. J. F. 



The Genera of North American Melanopli. By S. H. Scudder. 

 (Proc. Am. Acad, of A. and S. V. ^'^^ pp. 195-206. Jan., 1897.) 



Almost simultaneously with Dr. Scudder's "Guide to the Genera of 

 Orthoptera" two other important and extremely useful papers appeared, 

 one on " The Genera of North American Afelanopli" and the other on 

 " The Species of the Genus Alelanopliisr These are both really advance 

 issues of chapters in Dr. Scudder's great work on the Mela?iopIi, which is 

 to be published by the U. S. National Museum. The Melanopli are 

 divided into 30 genera, 17 of which are new and 4 have been previously 

 published by the author. The genus Melanophis is characteristically 

 American and is widely disseminated. There are 131 species recognized, 

 grouped under 28 series. The name furciila is given to the processes of 

 the last dorsal segment of the male abdomen, J. F. 



Mailed August 2nd, 1897. 



