120 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



NOTES ON CURRENT ENTOMOLOGICAL LITERATURE. 



Reports of Societies. — Tlie Annual Report of the Entomological 

 Society of the Province of Ontario, Toronto, 1882, is a most satisfactor}' 

 budget of some 85 pp. and index, printed by order of tlie Legislative 

 Assembly. This work contains " illustrated reports on the life-history and 

 habits of various insects, prepared by members of the Society for the 

 information of the general public." This being only one of a series of 

 annual reports, the Ontario Society appears to be doing real good, by 

 familiarizing the people with their insect enemies. We are glad to see that 

 in his sketch on " Noxious Insects in England and Canada," the Rev. Mr. 

 Bethune, of Port Hope, gives to our valued correspondent. Miss Ormerod, 

 that credit which is her due, for her ' Manual of Injurious Insects.' The 

 numerous woodcuts in the Ontario Report are fairly executed, but in some 

 instances not printed with that care which would add to the appearance of 

 the book. — In the Report of the Rugby School Natural History Society, 

 1882, will be found observations on the occurrence of insects, chiefly 

 Lepidoptera. Gratification however, is expressed that the order Cole- 

 optera is receiving attention. Reference is made to the number of desiderata 

 in the Club collection ; cannot some of our readers help these gentlemen 

 with a donation of types ? 



Colonization of Insects. — In the ' Canadian Entomologist ' the 

 editor, Mr. William Saunders, mentions (vol. xiv., p. 1) that our European 

 or more strictly English specimens of Pleris rapa;, which have settled in 

 Canada, seem to have driven out of the districts colonised, their " American 

 cousins " Pleris protodice, which has. become quite a scarce insect in some 

 districts. We are not sure that the Canadians are the better for the 

 change, as the former inhabitant of the country was much the prettier 

 insect. 



Insect Anatomy. — In the ' Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Aka- 

 demie der Wissenchaften ' (No. Ixxxiii.), Herr von Lendenfeld discusses at 

 length the flight of certain insects, illustrated by seven elaborate coloured 

 and plain plates. This is a very important paper, which deals with the 

 anatomy and physiology of the organs of locomotion of the Libellulidae. 

 — Mr. V. T. Chambers publishes, under the auspices of the Cincinnati 

 Society of Natural History, an able paper " On the Antennae and Trophi of 

 Lepidopterous Larvae." This is one of those carefully-thought-out and 

 written articles which are so conspicuously absent in the Entomological 

 literature of this country. Mr. Chambers states that " the facts and con- 

 clusions stated in this paper are the results of observation upon the mouth 

 parts of hundreds of species of Heterocera (Macro and Micro), and of a few 

 Rhopalocera, and are offered as suggestions to systematists of the Lepi- 

 doptera, and may aid somewhat in their classification, especially in that of 

 the Tineina," which, says the writer, " is a large group of many families, 

 some of which seem to me to be as far removed from each other in a 

 natural svstem as they are from any of the Macro-heterocera.'' The author 

 further says, " Mr. Stainton's system .... is the best classification of the 

 group with which I am acquainted, . . . and it is with a view to suggesting 

 some amendments to it, not of substituting another for it, that I offer these 

 suggestions." The plates represent a number of mouth parts, which, 

 though somewhat crudely drawn, well illustrate the paper. 



J. T. C. 



