212 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



BOOK NOTICE. 



The Carnegie Museum has just issued a magnificent volume of over 

 300 pages, by Dr. Wm. H. Ashmead, on the Classification of the Hymen- 

 opterous Superfamily Chalcidoidea. (Classification of the Chalcid 

 Flies of the Superfamily Chalcidoidea. Mem. Carnegie Museum, Vol. i, 

 No. 4, pp. 326 + XII., pis. 9. Jan., 1904.) 



The work is divided into two parts, the first of which includes tables 

 for the separation of all the known genera in the group, while the second 

 deals with the species occurring in South America. 



Fourteen families of Chalcids are recognized and over six hundred 

 genera. Many of the latter are characterized for the first time in the pres- 

 ent work. Under each family and tribe is given a brief consideration of 

 the affinities and general habits of the respective groups. These are of 

 material aid to the student in identifying specimens by means of the 

 dichotomies. 



A good idea of the extreme completeness with which the work has 

 been done may be gathered from the fact that, in the entire complex, there 

 are only six genera which are unknown to the author and not classified. 



The second part of the paper includes descriptions of nearly 200 new 

 species of South American Chalcids and a complete synonymical cata- 

 logue of all the species from that continent, besides tables for the deter- 

 mination of the species in some of the larger genera. 



It is to be hoped that the appearance of this work will give an im- 

 petus to the collecting and studying of this economically very important 

 group. Dr. Ashmead may most certainly be congratulated on having 

 done his share in placing the classification within easy attainment and giv- 

 ing at the same time one of the most important contributions on American 

 Hymenoptera ever puplished. 



It may also be mentioned that the volume is very nicely printed and 

 quite free from typographical errors. The nine plates which accompany 

 it include well-executed figures of some fifty South American genera. 



C. T. B. 



Mailed July 4th, 1904. 



