March g, 1876] 



NATURE 



;65 



would be found perfectly salubrious and productive in 

 the highest degree. We cannot see the force of some 

 of the arguments with which Capt. Moresby supports 

 his plea for annexation. His strong attachment to 

 the natives and his desire for their welfare we think 

 mislead him as to how this is to be accomplished. If 

 New Guinea is to be colonised by white men, all previous 

 experience teaches us that the natives will inevitably suffer, 

 will be demoralised, and ultimately extinguished. It is 

 inexpressibly sad to think of such a fate overtaking these 

 gentle and altogether superior natives of New Guinea ; 

 but how can it be helped, unless it is resolved to put a 

 stop to the increase in the white portion of the world's 

 population. We commend the Appendix to the notice of 

 all interested in Australia, which already is beginning to 

 feel itself overcrowded, and must sooner or later over- 

 flow, for, as is well known, the interior is a blank. 

 If this country does not speedily annex New Guinea, 

 some other country, with possibly less regard for the 

 interests of the natives, certainly will. We hope at least 

 that Capt. Moresby's work will be the means of giving a 

 new stimulus to the exploration of this abundantly in- 

 teresting island. Why don't the governments of the 

 various Australian colonies combine to organise an expe- 

 dition for its thorough exploration, with the countenance 

 and assistance of the imperial government ? With a man 

 like Capt. Moresby at the head of such an expedition, 

 how much might be accomplished. 



OUR BOOK SHELF 



Sketches of British Insects. A Handbook for Beginners 

 in the Study of Entotnology. By the Rev. W. Houghton, 

 M.A., F.L.S. (London : Groombridge and Sons, 

 1875.) 



This is an attractive little volume, suitable for a child's 

 prize ; it contains much useful and carefully selected in- 

 formation, accompanied by some excellent woodcuts, and 

 six gorgeously coloured plates.^ Although not wholly free 

 from errors, most of them are happily confined to the 

 chapter on Lepidoptera. It may not be amiss to point 

 them out, as they are likely to mislead, and should be 

 corrected in a subsequent edition. 



It is doubtful whether the general reader will compre- 

 hend the author's statement that " there are no herma- 

 phrodites in the class " of insects ; the frequent occurrence 

 of gynandromorphous specimens in collections being a 

 seeming contradiction to this assertion. 



The description of the oviposition of Chrysopa (pp. 62, 

 63) is not accurate. The insect, touching the surface of 

 the plant-stem with her abdomen, draws out a thread of 

 viscous matter, and by not at once excluding the egg 

 attached thereto, gives it time to harden ; it is only by not 

 removing her body, or depositing the egg too soon, that 

 the upright hair-like thread is produced. 



In the chapter on Lepidoptera a number of statements 

 are made, which (however seemingly true to the mere tyro 

 in entomology) are perfectly erroneous : thus it is not true 

 that butterflies ever have less than six legs, although the 

 first pair are, in some families, aborted ; butterflies cannot 

 be separated from moths by any distinctions but those 

 which serve to divide their families ; for a butterfly has not 

 always a pair of club-shaped a.xiX.tr\n?e, the antennae of some 



' The plates are rather sticky, and consequently the tissue-paper occa- 

 sionally adheres to them ; this is, however, a matter for congratulation, as it 

 subdues the ezcass of colcur. 



moths are distinctly clubbed. Although most butterflies 

 carry the wings upright when in repose, the Ageronicc, 

 many of the Erycinidce and Hesperiidce settle with the 

 wings flat and extended ; some of the Geometridous moths 

 on the other hand close them in an upright position over 

 the back. The Vanessce among the butterflies frequently 

 fly by night, and are sometimes taken at sugar ; ^ whilst 

 the Castmidce, Agaristidce, Zygcenidce, ^geriidcE, many 

 Sphingidce and Lithosiidce, some Bombycidce and Noc- 

 tuidcB, the Uraniida:, some Geemetrina, Pyralidina, Tor- 

 tricina, and Tineina all fly by day. 



The termination ina should be used for sub-families ; 

 therefore it is incorrect to say that " the family Papilio- 

 nidcE consists of two sub-families, the Papilionidce and 

 the Pieridce." 



The tails of the Theclince are not a sufficient dis- 

 tinguishing character, since these appendages occur also 

 in the British L. basticus and its allies. 



The Camber well-beauty has, of late years, been seen 

 on the wing by most entomologists, and the manner in 

 which the squeaking of Acherontia atropos is produced 

 has been fully described in a previous volume of Nature. 

 The wings of the female Vapourer-moth, although very 

 minute, are clearly distinguishable ; this insect therefore 

 cannot be said to be " entirely destitute of wings." 



The female stag-beetle bites somewhat sharply, but the 

 male has comparatively little power ; it is frequently 

 taken to school by mischievous boys to alarm their 

 fellows, but we never knew of a case in which it caused 

 actual pain. 



The Year Book of Facts in^Science and the Arts for 1875. 

 Edited by C. W. Vincent. (London : Ward, Lock, and 

 Tyler, 1876.) 



The present volume is a decided improvement on its 

 predecessor, though it is yet far from being what we hope 

 to see ere long — an annual record of science similar to the 

 excellent American publication edited with so much ability 

 by Mr. Baird. We are glad to observe that this year Mr. 

 Vincent has embraced a wider range in his excerpts, 

 though the newspaper reports of the papers read at the 

 last British Association meeting seem to have been a little 

 too heavily laid under contribution. But then one must 

 remember what a godsend such reports must be to the 

 editor of scientific scraps : two copies of each paper, a 

 pair of scissors, and a gum-bottle, and the thing is done. 

 It would, however, be an injustice to Mr. Vincent to leave 

 our readers under the impression that this book is care- 

 lessly edited. Extracts from our own columns, the Philo- 

 sophical Magazifie, the Comptes Rendus, the Chemical 

 News, the Academy, and other journals are largely made, 

 and on the whole a wise discrimination and some care 

 have been shown in the selection and|arrangement of these 

 scientific jottings. There are, at the same time, some 

 striking omissions which ought hardly to have been passed 

 over. No reference is made.to Mr. Crookes's Radiometer 

 and his experiments thereon, beyond a brief report of a 

 discussion on the subject at the British Association. 

 Nor is there any notice of the new system of quadruplex 

 telegraphy, designed by Mr. Winter, nor of the largely 

 increasing use of duplex telegraphy, owing to the valuable 

 modification of that discovery — which really made the 

 system a practical one — devised and carried out some 

 time ago by Mr. W. H. Preece. We commend the editor 

 to the columns of the Telegraphic Journal for informa- 

 tion on these points. There are also other omissions of 

 recent experimental researches, but as we have already 

 said, this volume is not without its merits, and doubtless 

 many will be glad to make use of the quantity of broken- 

 up information it conveniently conveys. We presume 

 Prof. Osborne, on p. 72, means Prof. Osborne-Reynolds. 



« Hesperiida have also been taken at light. 



