1902.] 69 



worker will take up the Cecidomyidte, but states that the Mycetophilid(F are much 

 improved, though still in a most unfinished condition : the S(ratio)»j/ida> to Cyrtidce 

 are included in the proposed second vol. of " British Flies," and the Chironomida 

 he hopes will form the third. In 1888 only 13 British Fleas were known ; now 

 (due principally to the Hon. N. Rothschild) there are thirty. This new List 

 does not entirely supersede the old one, inasmuch as Pfc. iii (Reputed British species) 

 must still be consulted, Ft. iii of the new List being only a supplement to that of 

 the old one. In get-up the two Lists are practically precisely similar, the only 

 difference being the use of a blacker type for the families in the new List ; the small 

 4to form (objectionable to some of us) is still retained. We echo the words with 

 which the author concludes his preface. " Let this List quickly give place to 

 another."— R. McL. 



Insects injurious to Staple Crops : by E. Dwight Sanderson, B.S.Agr., 

 Entomologist to the Delaware Agricultural Experimental Station. Pp. 5 and 295 

 8vo. New York : John Wiley and Sons; London : Chapman and Hall. 1902. 



This is a very useful, very cheap, and profusely illustrated book on Economic 

 Entomology, in part a reprint of letters to agricultural journals, &c. A few of the 

 illustrations are original, but the majority are time-honoured reproductions from 

 the pencils of others, Riley and Howard standing out prominently. That they 

 are hard to beat is acknowledged by the fact of their frequent reproduction. The 

 first four chapters are occupied by generalities; then follow grains and grasses, 

 wheat, Indian corn, weevils in grain, clover, cotton, tobacco, potato, sugar-beet, 

 hop-plant, concluding with a very useful summary of insecticides. We recommend 

 this work as a useful addition to the already large library of books on Economic 

 Entomology. 



Die Phoriden : by Tn. Becker. (Abh. k. k. zool.-bot. G-es. Wien, i, pp. I — 

 100, pis. I— V). 1901. 



This work, which forms a Monograph of the European species of Phoridce, is 

 undoubtedly one of considerable merit. Its value is enhanced by the fact that the 

 author has been able to examine and compare the type species in the collections 

 of Meigen, Winthem, v. Roser, Strobl, Zetterstedt, Schiner and Egger ; on pages 

 69 — 75 he gives a list of these type specimens with notes. 



The author divides the genus Phora into two groups, and gives most useful 

 tables for the determination of the species. He considers that there are 74 Euro- 

 pean species in the Family, 23 of which he describes as new or re-names. 



The first three plates mainly represent the differences in venation ; but in the 

 last two E. W Rubsaamen is responsible for some excellent drawings of the geni- 

 talia, including those of what would appear to represent a fourth species of 

 Trineura, but as no other characters could be found to separate it from T. aterrima 

 the author wisely refrains from giving it a name. 



In the list of species at the end I fail to find P. Carpentieri, Gob. (1877), and 

 P. posticata, Strobl (1898), or P. sanguitiea, Lw., 1870 (Turkestan), and P. setigera, 

 «Lw., 1874 (Sarepta) ; while among the foreign Phoridre I miss the names of P. 

 albidihalteris, Felt, agarici, Lintn. (1895), camariana, Coquerel (1848), Cleg- 

 horni, Big. (1890), navigans, Frauenf. (1867), omnivora, Huds. (1892), and Hiero- 

 nymus pygmceus, Weyenb. (1886). 



