I40 The Ohio Naturalist. 



16. Ustilago zeae (Beckm.) linger. 



Lycoperdon zeae Beckm. 



On Zea mays L,. 



Columbus, Ohio. September 30, igoi. 



Coll. O. E. Jennings. 



For full account of the synononiy with citations and notes,, 

 see J. C. Arthur, Botanical Gazette, 23 : 46, from which the follow- 

 ing is taken : 



To the translation by Johann Beckniann of Tillet's account 

 of the species contained in the Royal Academy of Paris, 1776, where 

 it is stated that, ' ' vSon dernier effet consiste a convertir cette excrois- 

 sance en une poussiere noiratre et assez semhlable a celle qui sort 

 du lycoperdon on vesse de loupe." — a foot note is added by the 

 translator proposing the l)inomial designation, as follows : 



" Meiner Meynung nach, ist das hier beschriebene Gewaechs 

 allerdings ein vStaubschwamm (Ljxoperdon) undzwareine Species 

 parasitica, deren in Lin. Syst. Nat. schon drey befindlich sind, 

 unter welchen also dieser Art, etwa unter dem Namen L}"coper. 

 zeae ein Platz anzuweisen waere." J. B., Hannoverisches Maga- 

 zin, 6: 1330. 



HELPS IN ENTOMOLOGICAL STUDY. 



Persons who are anxious to learn something of the habits of 

 insects are often at a loss to select reliable books. Some recent 

 additions to the list formerly available will make this task less 

 difficult. The " Insect Book,'" by Dr. L. O. Howard, published 

 by Dotibleday, Page & Company, covers the groups of insects, 

 exclusive of the butttrflies, moths and beetles. It gives figures 

 of a large number of species, some of them in natural colors, and 

 while some of the figtires fail to give all the detail necessary for 

 the exact identification of species, most of them are very 

 satisfactory. The keys, descriptions, typical life histories and 

 directions for making collections, are written especially for the 

 cla.ss of students who do not have access to specific collections, 

 libraries or in.struction. 



Another book of great interest at the present time (also bj' 

 Dr. Howard) is entitled " Mosquitoes, How they Carry Disease, 

 How they Live, How they are C!as.sified, How they May be 

 Destroyed." This deals in a remarkably clear and attractive 

 manner with the habits of mosquitoes, their breeding groiuids, 

 the different species and their distribution, their relation to 

 malaria and yellow fever, and the measures by which their 

 numbers may be redticed. It furnishes incidentally a most 

 excellent guide to the methods of life history stud>' for aquatic 

 insects. It is publi.shed by McClure, Phillips .S: Co.— H. O. 



