1910]. 219 



Catalogue of British Htmbnoptera of the Family Chalcidid^ : by 

 Claude Morlet, F.Z.S., F.E S. Pp. 74. London: Printed by order of the 

 Trustees of the British Miiseum (Natural History), Cromwell Eoad, S.W. 1910. 



This Catalogue, as stated by its author, is viniform with the varioiis Parts 

 of the " General Catalogue of the Insects of the British Isles," pul^lished long 

 ago (at a considerable loss) by the Entomological Society of London. The 

 Chalcididie is the least known group of our indigenous Hxjmenoptera, and the 

 only one of which no complete list has hitlierto been published. Little seems 

 to have been written about our English forms since Francis Walker's time. 

 Altogether 148 genera and 1424 species are enumerated, which are placed under 

 three main divisions, the Pentamera, Tetramera, and Trimera. It is to be hoped 

 that Mr. Morley's useful compilation will induce collectors to study these in- 

 sects, as there is evidently an ample field for investigation. The few recorded 

 localities might have been added with advantage and at the cost of very little 

 extra space. It may be observed here that an interesting account of the habits, 

 etc., of the Ciialcididse (the Pteromalini of Eatzebirrg, the group also including 

 the " Fig insects ") is given by Dr. Sharp in the Cambridge Natural History, 

 Insects, Part 1, pp. 539-551 (1895). 



The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma: Dermapteka 

 (Earwigs): by Malcolm Burr, D.Sc, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., F.E.S. London: 

 Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street. Calcutta : Thacker, Spink 

 and Co. Bombay : Thacker and Co., Ltd. Berlin : E. FriedlJinder und Sohn. 

 8vo. pp. xviii, 217, plates I-X. 1910. 



A notable addition to the fine series of works dealing with the animal life 

 of our Indian Empire, published by the Indian authorities under the general 

 title of the " Fauna of British India," is made by the appearance of the present 

 volume, in which the members of a limited but exceptionally well-defined Order 

 of Insects native to that region are envmierated and described with a thorough- 

 ness hitherto u.napproached in the literatiu-e of tlie group. The work of Dr. 

 Burr on the Orthoptera generally is now so well known and appreciated, that 

 we need only say that the volmne under notice may be regarded at present as 

 his magnum opus ; though we note with great pleasure his announcement on 

 p. ix that he is engaged upon a general revision and monograph of the Earwigs 

 of the world. Full ordinal rank is, we think justly, given to the Bermaptera, 

 in which a new classification is adopted, based on the systems of de Bormans 

 and Verhoeff, with large modifications by the author. From the Indian region 

 132 species of Earwigs (with two more regarded as uncertain), ranged under the 

 five families recognised by Dr. Buit, are recorded — a great contrast indeed to 

 the two or perhaps three species truly native to oiir Islands. The structure, 

 life-history, and general bionomics of the Order are fully and clearly stated in 

 the Introduction, which inckides (pp. 26-30) an exhaustive bibliography. A 

 very large amount of material, besides that already in the author's possession, 

 has been used by him in the preparation of the work, and is fully acknowledged 



