CURRENT NOTES. 91 



species so much verification is needed. Another great difficulty has 

 cropped up, and that is the numbers of specimens of these "smaller fry" 

 which have been mended with a body from somewhere. Such speci- 

 mens of course are worse than useless. Already three new British 

 species have been described through the labours of these two enthusi- 

 astic workers, and a letter lying before us refers to others. All honour 

 to those whose earnest endeavour is to add to the sum total of human 

 knowledge, and although we sometimes may seem to criticise what is 

 achieved, we cannot but admire the steady and sound advance which 

 has been made. 



We have received tlio announcement that the long promised Mono- 

 graph of I5i-itish Ants will shortly be published. All who know the 

 patiently careful work of the author, our colleague Mr. Horace Donis- 

 thorpe, will be assured that the volume will be most reliable in all its 

 details. For many years past Mr. Donisthorpe has been collecting a 

 mass of material, partly from his own detailed observation and partly 

 from facts imparted to him by means of his close correspondence with 

 all the foremost workers, students, and authorities of the world, so that 

 every verification of facts attainable has been made. There will be 

 accounts of all British species, including the original descriptions, full 

 literature references, synonymy, life-histories, world distribution, and 

 references to closely allied species which may possibly occur in Britain. 

 Slavery, colony-founding, and the general economy of ant-life will be 

 dealt with at length from the author's long personal observation and 

 experiments, and compared with the opinions and observations of con- 

 tinental and American authorities. The book will comprise some 350 

 pages, 8vo., and will be illustrated by over a hundred illustrations. We 

 would urge all who are the least bit interested in these marvellously 

 human little insects to send in their names to the subscription list, 

 since such a work necessitates considerable expenditure, and cannot be 

 published at the present time without the assurance to the author of 

 adequate support. 



It was with much regret that we saw the disappearance of the City 

 of London Entomological Society, as such, and its absorption into the 

 much larger North London Natural History Society, to form the Lon- 

 don Natural History Society, with a very extended range of study, even 

 embracing archajology. For twenty-three years the old Society had 

 issued its Transactions, and although always small in compass they con- 

 tained records of the meetings showing steady, earnest work and study, 

 and in addition at least one very valuable paper each year, which was 

 generally worth more than the small circulation which the volume 

 must have had. The last part of the Transactions issued, that for the 

 years 1912-13, has been lying on the table for some time, and is in no 

 whit behind that of its predecessors. It contains seven plates illustra- 

 tive of a paper by Dr. Chapman, " Some Lyca^nid Notes, with a 

 discussion of the Segmentation of the abdomen in Lepidoptera." Mr. 

 L. B. Prout contributed a very valuable paper entitled, " Notes on 

 Thera variata, Schiff'., and L. ubeliscatd, lib." Dr. E. A. Cockayne, 

 who is in the chair of the new combined society for the present year, 

 contributed a paper, "Notes on lliipalits piiu'arins, L." Mr. H. B. 

 Williams has an article entitled, " Notes on Coenoni/mpho pa)ii/)hiliis." 

 Mr. Chas. Nicholson and Mr. P. H. Tautz respectively contriijute, 

 " Plnsia Hioneta, Treit., in Britain," and " Notes on the Lepidoptera of 



