REVIEWS. 215 



Ji^EYIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



The North American Dragonflies of the Genus Aeschna. By 

 E. M. Walker. 213 pp. + 28 plates. Published by The Librarian, 

 The University Library, University of Toronto. Price $2.00. — 

 This volume— the advent of which deserves a warm welcome — treats 

 of those species found only north of Mexico. It forms the eleventh 

 brochure of the "University of Toronto Studies," and appears to be an 

 exhaustive and complete piece of work. In addition to studying the 

 material from public museums (including the British Museum) 

 and large private collections, the author has been able to 

 observe most of the eastern species treated of, and in such cases 

 descriptive notes of the colour-pattern and drawings have been made 

 from the fresh material. Dealing with the Taxonomy of the Genus, 

 the following points are noted : — Generic characters of the adult. 

 Generic characters of the nymph. Secondary sexual characters. 

 Characters of Specific value and Terminology : — (a) Imago — Colour- 

 pattern. Genitalia, (i.) Accessory Genitalia of Male ; (ii.) Genitalia of 

 Female. (6) Nymph — Measurements and Abbreviations. Genetic 

 Eelationships of the Genus Aeschna. The Sub-family Aeschninai'.. 

 The Aeschna Group. 



Then, Climatic Variations are treated of, as well as the Colour 

 Variation of the Female and the Geographical races. Under General 

 Life History we get the sub-heads:-^— Season of Imaginal Life; Length 

 of Imagmal Life ; Habitat ; Influence of Weather Conditions ; 

 Migrations ; Seasonal Variation in Number of Individuals ; Food ; 

 Enemies ; Mating Habits ; Copulatory Position ; Comparison of Copu- 

 latory position with that of other Odonata. 



From this concise list of " Contents " the scope of the work is at 

 once seen. In addition there is a liberal supply of plates, well 

 executed by the Heliotrope Co., Boston. The volume should have a 

 place in the library of all students of this Order. — H.E.P. 



The Macro-lepidoptera of the World, Vol. II,, The PALiEARCTic 

 Sphinges and Bombyces, 56 coloured plates (2849 figures). By Dr. 

 Adalbert Seitz, Stuttgart. Price £2 5s. (Messrs. Kernen, Stuttgart, 

 Germany. — At the end of 1911, we reviewed the first volume of this 

 monumental work, and now we have before us Vol. II, while seven 

 others are in course of being issued in parts, of which two are nearly 

 completed, one containing the Palfearctic Noctuids. The section now 

 under review consists of 480 pages (100 more than in the preceding one), 

 and contains 56 coloured plates, most of which are very well produced, 

 but a few of those of the genus Zi/f/icna and its allies are not quite 

 what they should be. For these latter the present publishers are not 

 responsible. To those entomologists who have not easy access to some 

 large collection these plates are of the utmost use, not only for 

 identification of species in hand, but to show all related species side by 

 side, to illustrate the sum total of a genus, and generally to broaden 

 the views of the student. 



Dr. Seitz himself contributes a portion of the text, the remainder 

 being written by various specialists in their own groups, including Dr. 

 K. Jordan, Dr. E. Strand, Dr. K. Griinberg, Dr. P. Denso, Hon. Walt. 

 Eothsehild, Messrs. W, Warren, M. Bartel, R. Pfitzner, etc. This hst 

 of names ensures that in the condensation of facts to form the letter- 

 press, everything of prime importance for the object of the work should 



