THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 103 



After a preliminary definition of Evolution and Darwinism, the 

 author proceeds to consider in detail the various attacks which have been 

 made upon the latter, for example, those based upon the insignificance of 

 fluctuating variations ; the uselessness, in the struggle for existence, of 

 many specific characters ; the necessity for coincident variation ; second- 

 ary sexual characters ; complete degeneration of parts ; elimination of 

 connecting forms, etc. This is followed by a statement of the arguments 

 put forward by the Darwinians in defence of their position. 



A summary is then given of the various theories of species formation 

 which have been proposed as auxiliaries, or alternatives, to that of natural 

 selection, e. g., panmixia, germinal selection, orthoplasy, Lamarck- 

 ism, orthogenesis, heterogenesis, etc., and the final chapter under the 

 title, " Darwinism's Present Standing," is devoted to a summing up of 

 the situation. 



The work is written in a very readable style, meets a decided need, and 

 can be recommended to all interested in the problems of evolution. 



J. W. Eastham, O. A. College, Guelph. 



British Flies. Vol. V. By G. H. Verrall, F. E. S. 814 pp. Lon- 

 don, 1909. Gurney and Jackson. 



The second published volume of Mr. Verrall's projected series is 

 number 5 of the entire plan, and includes the following families : Stratio- 

 myidse, Acanthomeridse, Leptidae (including sub-families Xylophaginae and 

 Coenomyinae), Tabanidae, Nemestrinidae, Cyrtidae, Bombylidte, Therevidae, 

 Scenopinidae, Mydaidse, Apioceridae and Asilidae. 



The treatment is full, almost encyclopaedic, bringing together a vast 

 mass of information about the various species, including larval characters 

 and habits, as well as those of the adult, as far as the former are known. 

 Even the families not occurring in Great Britain are provided with 

 tables of genera aud figures. 



The illustrations are exceptionally fine, being drawn for this work by 

 Mr. J. E. Collin, F. E. S. They are scattered through the text in con- 

 venient places for references, and are of a quality to delight the entomolog- 

 ical eye, unsurpassed by anything ever presented in this order of insects. 



Mr. Verrall does not accept the genera of Meigen's 1S00 paper, re- 

 cently discussed in this journal; in one of his notes (p. 772) he says :— 

 "The contention that Meigen's genera of 1800 should be revived and 

 claim priority, is on a par with the discovery of certain Chicago historians 

 that the annulment of one of the marriages of King Henry VIII. was 



