26 THE entomologist's record. 



recent work, and as moreover I am hoping to read in our "century 

 number" the records of some of our living evohitionists and biologists, 

 I conclude that my wisest course will be to leave nearly everything 

 " unsaid." But in order to substantiate my opening assertions as to 

 the enormous advance made in our lepidopterological books of late, I 

 feel that it will be necessary just to remind my readers of the titles of 

 a few of the most noteworthy. 



Weismann (whose important works cannot be cited as purely 

 lepidopterological) and his rival Eimer {Artbildmu/ and VenramJtscJiaft 

 hei den SchwrttcrUnr/i')!, 1H89-95 ; <)rtJio(/cnesis der ScJnnetterUjKje, 1898) 

 both unite in firmly upholding the principle of evolution in some form. 

 Dorfmeister, Fischer, Standfuss, Merriheld and others, have given us 

 most valuable works on the results of temperature-experiments. 

 Walther has made a special study of the " Palpus maxillaris " and the 

 morphology of the mouth-parts in lepidoptera (Jena, " ZciUchrift fur 

 Xatiinn'^sirnsrJiaft, xviii., 1894, &c.); Spuler (ZritscJir. fi'ir Wisscnsch. 

 ZnoL, Bd. liii., 1892) has produced an important paper on neuration 

 and quite recently {SIJ. I'/n/s. uird. Sue. Krlawicn, xxx., 1899) a 

 " Systema Tinearum " ; Schroeder has published a book on l\ntirick- 

 liiiif/ der Itaiiprnzriclniiini/, &c. (1894); Petersen deals with lepidopterous 

 morphology in the volume of Mem. Acad. St. Fetersbouni for 1900 ; 

 Portchinsky had a series of important biological papers in the Horac 

 from 1885-93 ; Renter's Ucber die Falpen der UJiopaloceren has already 

 been recommended to readers of the Ilrcord. In our own country, 

 the work of Poulton, Dixey, Chapman, Tutt, Jordan and others, is too 

 well known to need more than a passing word. In America there has 

 been marvellous activity of late years, and almost all the best work is 

 steeped in the modern scientific principles. Apart from his invaluable 

 general works and innumerable short papers, &c.. Dr. Packard has 

 given us a fine production in his Monoi/rajdi of the llnitihjicinv MotJis of 

 Xortli Aiiienra (1895). Scudder's J)i(tter/!ies of the Eastern United 

 States and Canada is admirable, and so are the lepidopterological works 

 of Fernald. The writings of Dyar, who has made himself a specialist in 

 the study of larval tubercles, and also of certain " Bombycine " families, 

 of Mayer (Derehqniient of >rini/-scales and their Pif/inent, &c.), and others 

 of recent date, will be fresh within the memory of my readers. With 

 such a vast accumulation of valuable material within a few years, one 

 is tempted to ask. What will be the product of the new century, and 

 how will the mind of man ever be able to take it in ? 



Experimental Entomoloj^y. 



By FEEDEKIC MEIIKIFIELD, F.E.S. 



The Editor has asked me to give him some account of the develop- 

 ment of the experimental side of entomology during the century 

 that is just closing. My knowledge is not sufficient to enable 

 me to attempt this. All I can hope to do is to describe some 

 examples of this development that have come under my obser- 

 vation, and, perhaps, to indicate some of the directions in Avhich 

 the tendency to experimentation is making itself felt in entomology. 

 I suppose systematic experiment may be described in a general 

 way as the testing of inferences or conjectures arising from the 

 observations of ourselves or others. There are, of course, many 



