-58- 



'I'his paper is issued as l^uUetin No. 5 of the Bureau of Kntomulogy 

 and its scope is sufficiently set forth in its title. Mr. Howard has for' 

 some time past made a special study of the parasitic Hymenoptera, and 

 we are pleased to see some of the results of his patient and persistent 

 labor. Six sub-families are embraced in the [)resent paper. All the 

 iijenera and a large number of new species are described. The paper is 

 a valuable addition to the literature of this most interesting order. 



Catalogue of the Exhibit of Economic Entomology at the NN'orld's Indusirial 

 and Cotton Centennial Exposition, New ( )rlfans 1884-85. Washini^ton, (Oept. 

 of Atjricuiiure) 1884, pp. i — 95. 



Boletin de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias en Cordoba (RcpuMico Ai^r- 

 entina) Tome VII, Eniraga i, 2 et 3. Hueiio.s Aires 1884, pp. 1—392. [All oc- 

 cupied by an article on the Staphylind?e of Buenos Aires, by Felix Lynch Arri- 

 biilzaga] . 



Contributions to the Descriptive and Systematic Coleopterology of North 

 America. Part II. By Thos. L. Casey, Lieut, of Eng'rs, C. S. A. Phila(lel])hia, 

 December 1884, pp. 61 — 198. 



Mr Casev has here given us a pamphlet, for which, with the best 

 po.ssible intentions, it is im})t)Ssible to say a word of praise. He dc-s(.ril)es 

 93 new species, several of them in genera that have not vet been worked 

 up. Thus there are several new species of BembidiuDi, or as Mr. Casey 

 calls it " Bimbidiorr \ a new Tachys which it takes eiver a page of brevier 

 type to describe, which is two millimeters long, and is unitjue. Such de- 

 scriptions are aggravating, for their minuteness of detail, and after all 

 they amount to nothmg but addititinal names for the lists. 



There aie also three new species of Cratacanthus based on color and 

 jiroportion of parts. This, in our opinion is unwarranted; diihius is an 

 e.xceedinglv variable form, and every species tlescribed by .\Ir. Casey is 

 re[)resented in our series. 



Mr. Casey in his introtluctory remarks, stated that he used a bin- 

 ticular microscope with mechanical universal-jt)inted stage clip for hold- 

 ing the pin. This as we can testify from personal inspection is a fine 

 instrument, but the great difficulty is that it exaggerates unimportant 

 characters — every indivitlual has peculiarities, in which it difters from 

 other individuals of the same species, and Mr. Casey's careful descript- 

 ions are individual, and not characteristic of species, Mr. Casey entirely 

 fails to make anv allowance for variation. His illustralitm in reference 

 to astronomical minuiness of detail is totally inapplicable. This science 

 has for its aim the discovery of the laws regulating stellar motions. The.se 

 laws are immutable — there is no allowance to make lor variaiions; while 

 in the Coleoptera there are scarcely two specimens exactly alike. 



