— J 95 — 



clerical appearance does not always seem to meet with entire belief. Mr. 

 Schwarz says they are used in making fever medicine, and as Mr. S. has 

 a thoroughly medical look, his explanation is usually deemed satisfactory. 

 Sometimes neither explanation will work and then such rencontres 

 as the following may happen. Collecting industriously near Fortress 

 Monroe, Mr. Lugger was accosted by an army officer who asked the usual 

 questions. Considering his questioner Mr. Lugger tried to explain. 

 "Hum" — replied the officer — "bugs eh! Humbugs I guess'' and passed 

 on. Later on the officer again came along with all the pride of uniform 

 and a fair lady on each arm, and found Mr. Lugger examining a speci- 

 men of Tetrodon turgidus a bladder fish, which had been cast up and 

 was inflated. "What's that; not a bug too is it?" was demanded. He 

 was informed it was a fish. "What's its name; do you know?" That also 

 was given as above. "Oh nonsense! I want an English name if it's got 

 one." "Oh yes!" replied Mr. Lugger, remembering the "humbug'', "we 

 call it the officer fish. " "Officer fish?" queried his now interested inter- 

 locutor "Why Officer fish?" "Because it is usually so puffed up" was 

 the answer, which caused the ignominious retreat of the young magnate 

 amid the laughter of his fair companions. 



Curious mistakes sometimes occur in foreign Journals, commenting 

 on American works, because of insufficient knowledge of English. In 

 the "Relazioni intorno ai lavori della R. Stazioni di Entomologia Agraria, 

 di Firenze 1879-82 issued in 1884, S. Targioni Tozetti gives a review of 

 Prof. Comstock's paper on Coccidae in the Rept. of the U. S. Entomolo- 

 gist some years ago; giving in parallel columns the species, and the plant 

 or tree it infests and the locality where found. Among others we find 

 My tilaspis panda nni n. sp. feeding on Trealease at Cambridge. Mr. 

 Trealease is pretty well known, but that he had a special Coccid infesting 

 him may be news. Of course Mr. T. was in the original referred to as 

 collector. Another error in the paper credits Prof. Comstok with the 

 ChalcididcE described in his Report, while Mr. Howard is in reality an- 

 swerable for them. 



Prof. Comstock has hard luck — in the Berliner bot. Zeitschrift for 

 1882 he is three times referred to as "Prof. Cornstalk." Bound to make 

 a botanical specimen even out the name it seems. 



Our Editorial labors for the year are about closed— the present num- 

 ber especially has required serious thought and much deliberation, and 

 with a sigh of relief we put away our editorial paraphernalia, wishing 

 each of our readers most heartily "A Happy New Year;" and as we feel 

 charitably disposed, we will also wish them anything else they may desire. 



