112 THE ENTOMOLOOtISt's RECORD. 



(Teovu'tra papiliunaria. There must be dozens of lepidopterists who. if 

 they knew his requirements, would be pleased to give the required 

 information. He particularly wants to know of examples having a 

 blue-green tint, and a summarised result of the variation in the number 

 of transverse lines on the fore- and hindwings. 



The Presidential address to the Fellows of the Entomological 

 Society of London, delivered by Professor E. B. Poulton, on January 

 20th, at the 70th annual meeting, was largely devoted to the subject 

 " What is a species ?" What is there to fill the vacancy left by the 

 disappearance of the Linnean conception, founded on " special 

 creation " ? He urged that, in many respects, it would be advantageous 

 to abandon the word, or to use it solely with its original logical mean- 

 ing of "kind," or, as zoologists would say, " form." This view was, 

 however, regarded as a "counsel of perfection," impossible of attain- 

 ment ; and the attempt was made to show that the conception of a 

 naturally and freely interbreeding (or syngamic) community lies 

 behind the usual definitions ; and that the barrier between species is 

 not sterility, but simply cessation of interbreeding (or asyngamy). 



Mr. W. S. Blatchley has laid orthopterists under a great obligation 

 by the separate publication of his work The (h-tlwptera of hxdiana ' . 

 The work is excellently arranged and well printed, the descriptions are 

 good as also are the keys to the various families and genera, whilst the 

 first-hand observations of the author on the habits of many of the 

 species form an excellent feature of the work. Altogether it is a work 

 to be consulted by all interested in the systematic study of the orthop- 

 tera of North America, and also by those interested in the broader 

 question of the habits of insects of this group. 



The Rev. E. Bloomfield {Knt. Mo. Mat/.) adds three diptera to the 

 British list: — (1) A Bibionid — Dilophus teDiatxs, Lw., taken at Sher- 

 ringham, near Cromer, in August, 1903. (2) A Psilid — Chyliza rittata, 

 Mg., captured near Bungay, in June, 1902. (3) An Ortalid — Tamj/x'za 

 low/iniana, Fin., from Tostock, in July, 1899. 



We should be glad if any of our readers will supply us with 

 monthly sets of " Practical Hints " for publication in our April, 

 May, June, July, September, and October numbers of the magazine. 

 First-hand observations and methods of work, however simple, are 

 wanted. There are many field-workers and breeders of lepidoptera, 

 whose modes of work (due to the entirely different character of 

 country collected over) are exceedingly divergent, who ought to be 

 able to help us with notes in this direction, and we trust will kindly 

 volunteer to do so. 



All lepidopterists who know the early stages of our plumes are 

 kindly asked not only to get us living larvit and pupa? of any species 

 for description, but to be sure and drop one of each in glycerine to 

 meet any accident that may happen to the living examples. 



* The Orthopteru of Indiana, an illustrated descriptive catalogue of the species 

 known to occur in the State, with bibliography, synonymy, and descriptions of new 

 species, from The 27th AnniuilEeport of the Dept. of Geology arid Nntuntl Resources 

 of Indiana, 190'2, pages 129-471 and ii-ix, figs. 1-122, 1 coloured plate, by W. S. 

 Blatchley. [Published by The Dept. of Geology of the State of Indiana, Indian- 

 opolis, Indiana, U.S.A.] 



