238 THE entomologist's record. 



Mr. Donisthorpe's treatment of his subject is particularly exhaustive 

 and the book is, in each of its parts, furnished either with woodcuts or 

 reproduced photographs, which completely illustrate the subject of the 

 text. 



The first portion is devoted to an explanation of the anatomy of 

 the group, both external and internal. The second treats of the 

 economic and physiological ant characteristics, including a specially 

 interesting description of the carious polymorphism which obtains 

 within the species, and which must of course be studied with reference 

 to the singular arrangement implicit in the socialism of the Hymen- 

 optera, and in them alone among the Arthropoda, whereby the function 

 of the female has been so divided that it becomes finally expressed in 

 two forms, morphologically as well as functionally distinct, with the 

 result that each species appears to exist in three sexes, or at least 

 separate forms. The third part of the book tells of all that is known 

 of the Psychology, or as some Biologists might prefer to express it, 

 the Physiology of Ants. 



Notes on collecting, and the treatment of Ants kept in captivity for 

 observation follow, and the I'emainder of the volume is devoted to 

 separate descriptions of every species of Ant which inhabits our 

 Islands. 



These descriptions, prefaced of course by appropriate dichotomic 

 tables, which should enable the most inexperienced student to name 

 his captures without difficulty, ai'e exhaustively complete ; they are 

 accompanied, wherever possible, by the original description of the 

 species, quoted liteiatliii, and by lists of all allusions to it in Entomo- 

 logical literature. Particulars of the distribution of the species in this 

 country follow, with the observers name given for each record. Every 

 description is illustrated by photographic reproductions from specimens 

 in the author's collection, of male, female, and worker, and to say that 

 these photographs are by A. W. Dennis is to guarantee their excellence. 

 More fascinating perhaps to the general reader, will be the descriptions 

 of the life-histories and activities of these several species, the curious 

 coadaptations and relativities which exist between species and species, 

 how they act as guests, on differing teiiiis, to so many other totally 

 unrelated species of the x\rthropoda, or fight pitched battles among 

 themselves. 



Particularly, will the interest of the reader, who perhaps may care 

 nothing about the discrimination of species, be excited, by such a story 

 as that describing the slave raids of Formica smvjuinca (p. 284 et fn'i/.) ; 

 how this ant goes forth by companies to capture and remove to its 

 own nest, there to be retained as slaves, the pupns of another species of 

 ant, Foniiica ftoica, or reading (p. 248) that the workers of Formica 

 rufa continue to toil without cessation from sunrise to an hour after 

 sunset, all through a summer's day — be reminded of that familiar 

 invitation to the " slacker " of all times to " consider her ways and be 

 \yise." 



P)ut taking this book as a wholo, it seems possible that the chapter 

 headed " Psychology," as it will attract the deepest interest by othei's 

 than professed entomologists, may also invite their only criticism. 

 The subject is, in fact, how far the activities of the F<jrmici(lae (as of 

 coarse other Hymenoptera) are induced by factors comparable with 

 human intelligence. Mr. Donisthorpe does not commit himself to 



