214 [September, 



the least satisfactory one in the volume. The discussiou of this ahvavs difficult 

 subject is here complicated by the division of the World's Dragon-fly fauna 

 into three groups, named the palaeogeuic, the entogeuic, and the ectogenic 

 groups, or, as they may be called in nearly equivalent terms, the archaic, the 

 endemic, and the introduced groups. The palaeogenic fauna is made up of 

 surviving members of ancient groups found scattered over the World's surface. 

 l"he entogenic and ectogenic faunas are composed of groups which are still 

 dominant, and the usual zoo-geographical regions are treated of under each of 

 these headings, with the disadvantage that the same regions are passed in 

 review on two separate occasions. According to a census of the Odouata of 

 the World with which the chapter concludes, the total number of species now 

 linown is 1^457, a number which would have been greater but for the recent 

 introduction in the Libellulinae of the trinomial system of nomenclature. 



On p. 277 the Agrionidae are characterised as possessing two antenodals 

 only (exc. J\'eurolesfes and Thaumatoneura). To this list of exceptions must, of 

 course, be added Neuragrioyi and Trineumgrion, to say notliing of fossil genera. 



The author anticipates that readers will not fail to discover a very strong 

 Austialian " flavour " in the book, owing to its having been written by an 

 Australian worker and upon Australian soil (p. ix). This state of things is 

 not one to be regretted, for it has made available, for purposes of illustration, 

 a Dragon-fly fauna which in point of interest could scarcely be surpassed. 

 Dragon-flies from other parts of the World likewise receive their share of 

 attention, and quite a British character is imparted to the book, both by the 

 chapter specially devoted to British species, and also by the frequency with 

 Avhich such species are figured in other portions of the volume. 



No space remains now for even the briefest notice of the chapters on the 

 imago, the nymph, the alimentary and excretory systems, the nervous system, 

 the sense orgnns, the circulatory system, tlie respiratory system, the body-wall 

 and muscles, the reproductive system, embryology, coloration, the geological 

 record, and bionomics, each of which really meiits a separate paragraph to 

 it.se]f. Not only are they enriched with the fruits of original work, but in a 

 good many cases statements made by previous writers have been subjected to 

 the test of fresh dissection or experiment before being presented to the reader. 



Very few clerical errors have been detected during the perusal of this 

 book. Wherever a fresh edition is called for, however, it will be as well to 

 correct " Dias/ntomma Brauer " (p. 307, footnote) to " Diastatomma Bur- 

 meistor," and " Phenacolestes viiiraidus Scudder " (p. 315, in two places) to 

 *' I'Jien/.olestes mirandus Cockerell." Again, in the table of genera on p. 28o 

 the names Kotholestes and A7}iphilestes are redundant and should be struck 

 out ; the first of them is a synonym of Caliphoea, while Amphilesfes, being a 

 homonym, is replaced by Rhinai/rion {vide Appendix C). In the same table 

 the Ethiopian genus Stenocnemis is wrongly referred to the Oriental llegion. 

 Where Cora is mentioned on p. 311, no doubt Anisopleura is the genus to 

 which reference is intended to be made, ond " Tetragrammidae " (p. 330) should 

 apparently have been written " Trichogrammidae " (Trichogrammatidae). 



The illustrations are plentiful, and add very greatly to the usefulness and 

 attractiveness of the volume. In addition to 188 figures in the text, by the 

 author and Mrs. Till yard, there are four plates, two of which are in 



