308 THE entomologist's record. 



stating that in his experience, when authors describe such and such a 

 part of an insect as being one-and-a-half or two or three times as long 

 as wide, these statements, based upon judgment only, are most 

 frequently found, upon actual measurement, to be erroneous. 



Mr. Frank Balfour-Browne, M.A., F.Z.S., contributes {Ann. Scott. 

 Nat. Hist.) an article on the Aquatic Coleoptera of the North Ebudes, 

 the islands of Skye, Rhum, Canna, Eigg, and Muck. This is not 

 merely a list of beetles found on these hitherto much neglected areas, 

 but his visit was " to discover as much as possible of the ' Arctic ' 

 group of water-beetles of which l^eronectes fin'sen-striattm, Dj/tisciis 

 lapponirits, HijdroporHS »iorio, H. tri!<tis, H. ))idanariiif>, Ajiabus arcticiiii, 

 A. conf/ener, and lllijbiitfi aenescens are examples. Several of these 

 species have an extensive range in the British Isles, but the first two 

 are limited to highland lochs in Scotland and Ireland, and, so far as 

 is at present known, they show a decidedly discontinuous distribution. 

 I was therefore specially anxious to know what their associates were, 

 and the kind of habitat they survive in." In this most interesting 

 article the writer endeavours to work out the surrounding conditions 

 most thoroughly, such as absence or presence of hsh and newts, depth 

 of the water, character of the bottom and margins, presence or absence 

 of vegetation, nature of the soil, presence or absence of running 

 Winter, etc. The abundant suggestions and references make the article 

 a very useful one from a purely scientific point of view rather than a 

 merely faunistic contribution. 



In the (Janailiau Juitoinulmjist for August, we read that the 

 Entomological Society of Ontario have enthusiastically taken up the 

 preparation of a Catalogue of Canadian Insects, and have appointed a 

 special committee consisting of Dr. E. M. Walker, Dr. C. G. Hewett, 

 Messrs. G. Chagnon, N. Griddle, J. D. Evans, A. Gibson, W. H. 

 Harrington, T. D. Jarvis, H. H. Lyman, G. A. Moore, G. E. Saunders, 

 J. M. Swaine, A. T. Winn, F. H. Wolly-Dod, and Prof. T. D. A. 

 Cockerell, to carry out their project. After the due consideration of a 

 large number of suggestions, a scheme of procedure was formulated. 

 From this scheme we gather that the Catalogue will not be a mere 

 synonymic list, but will contain, in addition to the usual information, 

 the geographical distribution within Canada, as a rule by Provinces, 

 the faunal zones, the actual locality and captor in the case of very rare 

 species, the type locality, and the place where the type specimens of 

 Canadian species are deposited, the Latin name of the chief food- 

 plants in the case of most orders, in the case of parasitic species the 

 name of the host, or chief hosts, fossil and introduced species, and 

 where possible, reference to a good published figure. We scarcely 

 understand the statement that, " Under each species will be given a 

 reference to one or two good descriptions of the insect, nut necessarily 

 the original one : these will be descriptions which are as accessible as 

 possible." The italics are ours. Surely all important references will 

 be given, especially the original ones, which are the most important 

 of all possible references, and in many cases the date is also necessary. 

 Authors' names will be given with the names of both species and genus, 

 and " recent important changes in synonymy will be noticed," with 

 the date in the case of each genus. The Catalogue will be published 

 under the general editorship of Dr. Gordon Hewitt, Dominion 

 Entomologist, Ottawa, by the Geological Survey of Canada, and will 

 appear in parts as the different orders or families are completed. 



