68 [March, 



details of life history are also very full, no less than the nymphs of twelve 

 species being described. 



It is worthy of remark that although the number of North American 

 species is rather greater than that of the Palsearctic sj>eeies, the latter present 

 a larger number of groups, and are more diversified in structure, and colour 

 pattern. All the North American groups are represented in the palsearctic 

 region, excepting those of califomica and multicolor, with the addition of 

 several others, grandis (with viridis) , mixta (with affinis), isosceles (probably with 

 others), and melanictera (a Japanese species). Incidentally we congratulate 

 ourselves that at least in this one genus, we on this side of the Atlantic can 

 hold our own in a comparison with the very beautiful North American Odonate 

 fauna. 



Two of our six British species (not one as stated in Ent., 1913, p. 272) 

 occur in North America, M. juncea in almost identical form, although decidedly 

 smaller in northern specimens, and M. ccerulea, for which the race name septen- 

 trionalis is retained apparently more as a matter of convenience than on account 

 of any material difference. — K. J. M. 



" Insect Life : its Why and Wherefore." By the Rev. Hubert G. 

 Stanley, F.E.S. London : Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd., 1, Amen Corner, 

 E.C. 1913. 



In this work, which is intended " to be placed in the hands of farmers, 

 gardeners, and others interested/' some fifteen forms of insect life (with " the 

 slug " thrown in) are treated of in a pleasantly written but highly generalized 

 and somewhat sketchy manner, and illustrated with rather crude text figures. 

 All these forms come more or less into contact with man as personal or agricul- 

 tural pests, or in one or two cases as benefactors ; and to those who wish to 

 acquire a rudimentary knowledge of the subject, this well-printed little book 

 may be of some service. 



"Common British Moths. By A. M. Stewart ("Peeps at Nature" 

 Series). With 16 plates, 8 coloured. London : Adam and Charles Black. 1913. 



In our last year's volume (p. 66) we had the pleasure of noticing Mr. A. M. 

 Stewart's excellent little work on "British Butterflies" in the "Peeps at 

 Nature " Series, issued by Messrs. A. and C. Black, and the companion volume on 

 our " Common Moths " by the same author fully maintains the high standard 

 of excellence of its predecessor. The eight coloured plates (one on the cover) 

 represent, on an uniform scale of three-quarters real size, some 200 of the 

 better-known species of moths indigenous to our Islands, and to these plates 

 no higher praise can be given than to state that in every respect they are fully 

 equal to those of the author's earlier work. It is true that the limitations of 

 the " three-colour " process become rather evident in the case of the smaller 

 Geometers and the few Tortrices and Tinese shewn, but even these reduced 

 figures retain a great deal of the character of the actual moths from which 



