319 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



British Oak Galls. By Edward T. Connold, F.Z.S., F.E.S. Author 

 of ' British Vegetable Galls,' &c. Illustrated with 68 full-page 

 plates, 21 insets, and 17 small drawings. Pp. i-xviii and 

 1-169. London : Adlard & Son. 1908. 

 The subject-matter in this very excellent book is arranged in six 

 chapters, the first five of which are respectively headed "The Prin- 

 ciples of Oak Gall Formation " (pp. 1-8), " Some Features of Oak 

 Gall Growth" (pp. 9-19), "The Numerical Aspect of Oak Galls" 

 (pp. 20-25), "The CynipidcB Affecting the Oak" (pp. 26-32), and 

 " The British Oak " (pp. 33-39). 



Chapter vi. commences with some useful hints on collecting and 

 mounting oak galls (pp. 40-48). The softer galls unfortunately soon 

 lose both form and colour. In such cases the author recommends 

 carefully coloured drawings, or photographs, showing the objects in 

 their actual size, as affoixling the best permanent records of their 

 appearance in nature. On p. 49 a table of British Cynipidaeus gall- 

 producers and, where known, their alternate generations, is given. 

 Of six species the sexual generation only seems to have been detected, 

 and of seven others the agamous form alone appears to be known. 

 We observe that Neuroterus sdilechtendali, Mayr, is cited as a synonym 

 of Spathegaster aprilinus, Giraud. Schlechtendal and F. Loew, how- 

 ever, consider N. schlechtendali to be the agamous form of S. apri- 

 linus, and we believe that evidence has been published tending to 

 show that the former is the summer gall. Anyway, our author 

 inclines to the opinion held by Adler that the alternate generation is 

 most probably Neuroterus ostreus, Hartig. Descriptions of the fifty-four 

 British Oak Galls and re-marks thereon occupy ninety-one pages, and 

 in the case of each gall there is a synoptical table in which a great 

 deal of information is presented in a handy form. The illustrations 

 are admirable, and, with one or two exceptions, are from photographs 

 of specimens obtained around Hastings. 



Galls are of interest not only to the specialist who studies the 

 insects producing them, the inquilines and the parasites, but also to 

 Nature students generally. Their various forms and curious manner 

 of growth always attract attention. Pictorial aid in the identification 

 of the oak species and trustworthy information concerning them are 

 now at the service of all who furnish themselves with a copy of 

 Connold's ' Biitish Oak Galls.' 



Diptera Danica. Genera and Species of Flies hitherto found in Den- 

 mark. By William Lundbeck. Part II. Asilidae, Bombyliidas, 

 TherevidjE, Scenopinida3. With 48 figures. Pp. 1-160. Copen- 

 hagen : G. E. C. Gad. London : Wesley & Son. 1908. 

 The first part of this capital work (published at the expense of 

 the Carlsberg Fund) was referred to in the ' Entomologist ' for 1907, 

 p. 264. There are synoptical tables of the subfamilies, genera, and 

 species, and the sequence of the families and of the species embraced 

 therein is very similar to that in Verrall's ' List of British Diptera,' 



