April, '13] REVIEWS 289 



Congress in Boston. After that Miss Murtfeld's publications were 

 mostly on the Tortricidse in the standard technical journals. 



Miss Murtfeldt is survived by three sisters, Misses Louise, Augusta 

 and Josephine and by two brothers, George of Minneapolis and Wil- 

 liam of Rockford, 111. 



Reviews 



Injurious and Beneficial Insects of California, by E. O. Essig. The 

 Monthly Bulletin of State [Cal.] Comm. Hortic, Vol. 2, Numbs. 1 & 2, pp. I-XXI, 

 1-3.51. 1913. 



The above departs widely from what we usually meet in serials and is in reality a 

 comprehensive discussion of Californian injurious and beneficial insects, the various 

 forms being treated under class and ordinal headings. This work will be particularly 

 welcome to entomologists, since it gives a summary account of the more important 

 injurious and beneficial forms occurring upon the west coast. The usefulness of the 

 volume to the practical fruit grower is greatly increased by the host index of injurious 

 insects, a detailed list arranged alphabetically under the common names of the various 

 plants upon which the insects occur. Naturally, some groups receive relatively more 

 attention than others, this being particularly noteworthy in the case of plantlice, 

 some 44 pages being devoted to the discussion of a number of species, a few of wliich 

 are probably not very injurious. The scale insects is the banner group, numerous 

 species being discussed and admirably illustrated on 54 pages. The pre-eminence 

 of these pests is doubtless to be accounted for by pecuUar climatic and horticultural 

 conditions. Passing to the higher groups we find the ladybeetles or Coccinellidae 

 given 26 pages, while the major portion of tlie account of Hymenopterous insects i3 

 devoted to parasites. This relative preponderance is to be expected in a region which 

 has been profoundly influenced by the effective work of ladybeetles upon the cottony 

 cushion scale and the potential importance of at least one of the Hymenoptera, 

 namely, the fig wasp, in addition to the good work performed by the numerous 

 small parasites. A discussion of the codling moth parasite which figured so largely 

 in the pubhc prints a few years ago, is limited to a little over a page and gives no 

 hint as to the actual value of this introduction. 



A number of eastern insects are noticed in this work, among them being the two 

 species of canker worms, banding being the remedial measure apparently preferred 

 by the writer. The reviewer has favored the application of poisons for these insects, 

 because this treatment is effective in controllmg the canker worms and also in checking 

 other leaf feeders very likely to occur upon the trees. We notice an old friend of the 

 east, the forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria under the somewhat anomalous 

 popular name of western apple tree tent caterpillar. In this instance, at least, the 

 official list of common names for insects appears to have been ignored. 



There is a chapter on sprays and poisons. The tabulation for the dilution of 

 kerosene emulsion to secure various percentages will undoubtedly prove of much 

 aid to horticulturists and be of service to some entomologists, since occasional errors 

 in respect to this have crept into print. Several types of spray apparatus are figured, 

 including a dust sprayer. There is a detailed discussion of fumigation with several 

 dosage tables. The work is concluded with a compilation of the California horti- 

 cultural laws and quarantine orders. This bulletin is printed upon excellent paper 

 and illustrated by over 300 figures, most of them excellent and a number being 

 original. 



