REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. 313 



" Fierce Battles of the Insect World." (1) Mantis rdi<iiosa, L., fighting 

 with the grasshopper Plati/deisf/risea, Fab. This is entitled " Rearhorse 

 or mantis versus grasshopper." (Dr. Burr suggests that " rearhorse " is 

 probably an Americanism.) (2) Cicada emerging from nymph. This 

 illustration is entitled " Giant fly attacking a Bee." (A delicious instance 

 of the saying " A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.") (3) Two 

 mantids fighting, entitled " Hand to hand encounter between two rear 

 horses." (4) Evidently the same two insects as the last, but styled 

 " Winged ant grips rearhorse across the body." We wonder from 

 whence the Daibj Mirror got the illustrations ; no doubt " they are 

 considered by the Art Editor to be educational," as Dr. Burr remarks. 

 Dr. Burr also informs us that Platijclein [/risea is a strong and active 

 carnivore, but no match for a big mantid, and that he has seen a 

 nymph of M. reliniosa dragging about a full grown P. ifrisea tight in 

 his claws. 



On November 13th, Professor W. Bateson, F.R.S., gave an address 

 at the South London Entomological and Natural History Society on 

 the " Problem of Species which overlap Geographically," illustrating 

 his remarks with numerous specimens and lantern slides. From the 

 instances given, chosen chiefly from birds and lepidoptera, the fact was 

 emphasised that it was very difficult to find a definite intermediate 

 form arise in the area of the overlapping of two definite forms. The 

 results of the crossing of the forms were almost invariably of all 

 degrees of intermediate blending, of the species, or form characters. 

 The question to be discussed v/as, " What keeps geographical forms, 

 existing in apparently similar areas, so definitely apart ? " 



Jii^EYIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



The Life of the Fly.— By J. Henri Fabre. Price 6s. nett. 

 Published by Hoddkr and Stoughton, Warwick Square, E.G. — 

 As most of our readers are already acquainted with previous works of 

 M. Fabre, the mere notification of the appearance of the above 

 volume will be sufficient to insure them procuring copies. 



Those who wish to know more of the talented author will be 

 pleased to learn that, interspersed among the other matter in this 

 loook, are some chapters of autobiography. The following essays, 

 among others, are incorporated : — The Anthrax ; Larval Dimorphism; 

 Heredity ; The Pond ; The Caddis Worm ; The Greenbottles ; The 

 Grey Flesh-Flies ; The Bluebottle ; The Maggot ; A Parasite of the 

 Maggot ; Insects and Mushrooms. 



The ability of the writer in presenting accurately the facts of 

 science in the simplest form, is well illustrated in the chapter on "The 

 Anthrax," p. 45, et aeq., where he treats of histology and histogenesis 

 (skilfully avoiding these terms), in such a way that any well-educated 

 lad could quite easily understand. He says- somewhere in the chapter 

 on " The Harmas " (p. 5) : " Well, if I write for men of learning, for 

 philosophers .... I write also, I write above all things, for the 

 young. I want to make them love the natural history which you 

 make them hate ; and that is why, while keeping strictly to the truth, 

 I avoid your scientific prose, which too often, alas, seems borrowed 

 from some Iroquois idiom ! " 



The possession of this book will enable the lover of Natural Science 



