140 



[November, 



there — who has not lost his patience in setting (or trying to set) Byrrhus with I 

 tragacanth ? and such genera as Mister, Byrrhus, Coccinella, Parnus, &c., can be 

 made with no difficulty to show the palpi, antennae, and legs as easily as a Notiophilus, 

 Care must be taken not to have the glue too thick, or there is a liability of the limbs 

 being detached, but a little practice will soon teach the requisite consistence. 

 Another benefit to be derived from this plan is that among the " Staphs " there is 

 no retraction of the segments of the abdomen, but once laid on the glue and pressed 

 down with the needle, this portion of the insect retains its normal appearance. The 

 cards, each containing a day's captures, are marked with date and locality, and put 

 away until time permits of their being re-mounted — a nice pastime for the long 

 winter evenings. Then the cards are cut into pieces, each holding ten or a dozen 

 specimens, these are dropped into boiling water, the specimens at once leave the 

 glue and float on the surface, they are fished out quickly — so that no time for theix 

 relaxation occurs — on to blotting paper to drain, and mounted without any needle 

 by placing them with a brush on a drop of tragacanth (to which a little acacia is 

 best added) on the whitest obtainable card. In a short time the specimens may bel 

 cut out, ticketed with locality and date, if desired, and put away in a conditioii{ 

 which no one can find fault with. It may be objected that the tarsi may become 

 " beclogged," and the specimens daubed with glue, during the setting, but even ii, 

 this does take place, the momentary immersion in boiling water effectually remove^ 

 all traces of this, and restores the specimens to their pristine beauty. The trouble 

 of having to carry a small glue-kettle, and keeping the glue hot while away on s 

 holiday, is far counter-balanced by the rapidity with which a day's " bag " may hi 

 set, and the safety with which the glued cards of specimens will travel. — John W 

 Ellis, 101, Everton Eoad, Liverpool : September 2^rd, 1884. 



Oufi Insect Allies : by Theodoee Wood. London : Society for Promoting 

 Christian Knowledge. 1884, 8vo, pp. 238. 



This is a pleasantly-written readable little book, containing much sounder in 

 formation than is usual in works of the same class, and profusely illustrated. It is 

 we think, almost the author's first attempt at book-making, and his productioi | 

 compares very favourably with many other works on popular entomology. Th^' 

 aim is to give an account of insects that aid us, either as parasites on other noxiou; 

 species, or as scavengers that hasten the destruction of dead or decaying animal o: 

 regetable matters. The exigencies of this position sometimes lead to a dilemma 

 For instance, if the author were to write a book on noxious insects he would car 

 tainly include gnats among them, and yet we here find them doing duty as " allies,' 

 because their larvae undoubtedly tend to purify stagnant water. We must poin 

 out to the author one serious error. At p. 160 he figures what he says is thi 

 larva of a Lace-wing fly (Chrysopa) devouring an Aphis. The figure represent^ 

 if anything, the larva of a Syrphus engaged in such an operation; and thj 

 error is unaccountable, because he largely quotes Mr. Buckton's Monograph, and th 

 latter author very correctly figures a Lace-wing larva on pi. Ixxiv, fig. 2. There ar| 

 some other blemishes or mis-statements ; but we have no desire to be severely critica 

 a writer who has evidently tried to be correct, and, with a few exceptions, ha 



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