ooo [December, 



conclusions derived therefrom must be confirmed or refuted hy morphological 

 study of the hosts. In the present case this evidence indicates that Apteryx is 

 nearest akin, not to the Ratitae, but to the Eails, a view which has been fore- 

 shadowed in the writings of certain bird-morphologists. Furthermore, since 

 the gigantic extinct New Zealand birds ( Pinornithidae) are generally agreed 

 to be closely related to Apteryx, AjAericola may possibly indicate one of the 

 types of parasites which infested the Dinornithidae. 



The second paper is a detailed study of the respiratory system in a large 

 number of forms. Not only has this been hitherto much neglected, but the 

 scanty statements published concerning it are by no means entirely correct. 

 The writer attributes his own sticcess in this stiidy largely to the employment 

 of special methods. Living material is essential for obtaining the best results. 

 " If the living insect be killed and dehydi-ated by immersion in absolute alcoliol 

 for about ten minutes, and then cleared and mounted, the tracheal tubes remain 

 filled with air, and are very easily followed. Such a preparation is, however, 

 not permanent, as balsam gradually replaces the air ; but it will usually keep 

 in good condition for several days."* Or the living insect may be put in dilute 

 glycerine under a coverslip ; the glycerine infiltrates the tracheae much more 

 slowly, and such preparations remain in good condition for weeks. Dissections 

 and serial sections were also used. The results may be vei-y briefly summarised 

 as follows : (i) the tracheal system is disposed in two main trunks, with four 

 narrow neural commissures in connection with the main nerve masses, and with 

 a posterior abdominal commissure in primitive forms; (ii) the stigmata are 

 typically 14 in number, one pair prothoracic and six abdominal, the latter 

 usually dorsal, and typically present on segments 3-8 ; (iii) at least two types 

 of occluding aparatus exist in the group, and these are described in detail : 

 (iv) in the structure of the respiratory system the Mallophaga agree very closely 

 with Anoplura, and in a more general way Avith the wingless Copeognatha 

 {Psocidae) ; (v) the respiratory system being very uniform, such variations as 

 do occur are of considerable taxonomic importance. 



ituarj). 



J. H. Fabre,f 1823-1915 : An appreciation. — The readers of this Magazine 

 have no doubt been made acquainted with the decease of this distinguished 

 naturalist by means of the numerous notices of him that appeared in the 

 journals when his death occurred about a month since. An attempt — however 

 imperfect — to set forth his claims to our admiration and gratitude will therefore 

 be preferable to a reiteration of the details of his career. 



He was a man of very wide attainments, skilled in all the departments of 

 science, as well as a perfect master of the beautiful language of France. 



He produced a series of educational works of a very admirable character, 

 and published them at a price that left little or no profit to the author, though 



*The method of imprisoning air in the trachuae in order to trace them out to their finest 

 ramifications can be used in otlier insects besides Mallophaya, e.g., in Dipterous larvae. 



t Fabre's name appears in Hagen's " Bibliotheca entomologica " as "Joseph Louis P'abre." This 

 is certainly erroneous : some of the obituary notices that have appeared speak of him as 

 Jean Henri Fabre ; my impression has been that his first christian name was Jules. He 

 always signed as J. H. Fabre, and Jean is probably correct, as the son whose loss he 

 deplores in the second volume of the "Souvenirs" was named Jules. 



