— *9— 



The method is ingenious and the results no doubt very neat; — 

 but once upon a time I puzzled for some time over a somewhat aberrant 

 specimen which had serrated antenna', was a female and evidently be- 

 longed to a genus where the females had simple antenna.', and it looked 

 common enough, too, I put it aside, and only some time afterward it 

 struck me that the corespondent from whom I had received it, often 

 mended insects. Sure enough, careful inspection proved that the antenna- 

 were pasted on and belonged to a J* of some entirely different genus. It 

 makes a collection look well to have insects artificially perfect, but it 

 renders its study difficult, for one must always look carefully to see which 

 is nature and which is art. John B. Smith. 



Book Notice. 

 Die Formiciden der Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerica. Von Dr. Gusta\ 

 Mayr. Verh. k. k. Zool.-Bot. Gcs. in Wien. 1886, pp. 419 — 468. 



This pamphlet of 48 pages is the most important work on this group 

 of American Insects that has ever been issued, and puts it within the 

 power of the American Student to at least discover what is known, and to 

 obtain a general idea of the classification of this family. Unfortunately 

 there are no comprehensive synopses or — except in three instances- 

 synopses of species, and the work is thus not so useful as it might be, 

 nor are all the species described which would have greatly enhanced the 

 value of the paper. It is a synonymical, annotated and descriptive list, 

 and as such is a model. The order of genera and the number of species 

 in each, is as follows : 



Camponohts, 8 ; Colobopsis, 1 ; Myrmecocysius, 1 ; Poligerus, 1 ; 

 Formica, 7 [ciliata n. sp.); Lasius, 6; Brachymyrmex, 1 ; Preno/epsis, 4; 

 Iridomyrmex, 1 ; Dorymyrmex, 1 ; Lionielopum, 1 ; Tapinoma, 2 ; Doli- 

 choderus, 4 (pustulalus n. sp. ), a table of workers being here given; 

 Odontomachus, 2 ; Proceratium, 3 ; Discothyrea, 1 ; Ponera, 2 ; Lobopelta, 

 1 {septentrionalis n. sp. ); Amblypona, 1 ; Eciton, 8, {subsulcaium n. sp. ); 

 Al/d, 2; Apha'nogasie>\ 9, with table of workers {brevicornis, lamellidens, 

 albisetosa, Andrei and Pergandei new species); Pogonomyrmex, 5; Myr- 

 mica, 4 ; Leptotkorax, 5, with table of workers (fortinodis n. sp. ); Tetra- 

 morium, 2 ; Stenamma, 1, (neoarcticum n, sp. ); Myrmecina, 1 ; flfona- 

 morium, 2 ; Pheidole, 6, (commutaia, n. sp.); Solenopsis, 4, {debiHsn, sp. ): 

 (\ < imastogasler, 4, (Ashmeadin. sp. ); Pseudomyrma, 1 ; Sirumigenys, 2. 



There are therefore 107 species distributed in 34 genera, and of these 

 species there are 14 not heretofore described. It is almost certain that 

 this list does not begin to represent the American Formicid fauna, and 

 there is plenty of chance for the enterprising collector and student. 



