550 



NA TURE 



[October 3, 1901 



devote themselves to the popular orders of Lepidoptera 

 and Coleoptera, as in Europe ; but nevertheless there 

 are numerous active workers, known or unknown, in all 

 the so-called " neglected orders," and a popular manual 

 on these insects, freely illustrated, must greatly conduce 

 to their more extended study, though it is, of course, im- 

 possible to treat of five great orders of insects in a single 

 volume in anything like so complete a manner as Dr. 

 Holland was able to achieve for the limited group of 

 butterflies. Dr. Howard has, however, contrived to 

 bring together and condense a large amount of very 

 useful information from various sources, and his book 

 should prove nearly as valuable to European as to 

 North ."American entomologists ; for not only are a large 

 proportion of the various families and genera common to 

 both countries, but a considerable number even of the 

 species here described and figured are common and well- 

 known British species. Here and there we find a slip, 

 as when the number of described species of Hymenoptera 

 is estimated on the first page as nearly 30,000, whereas 

 it almost certainly exceeds 40,000 at the present time ; 

 and at p. 345 the exploded superstition originated by 

 Kirby and Spence that earwigs do not enter the human 

 ear seems to be insisted on. Perhaps the rarity of 

 earwigs in the States may partly account for this. 



We have already said that some of the species included 

 in this work are common British species. Others are 

 large and handsome forms quite unlike any existing in 

 England, or perhaps in Europe. This is especially the case 

 in the orders Orthoptera and Neuroptera ; and the pretty 

 plates of dragonflies, especially plates 40 and 43, repre- 

 senting species with coloured wings, will be something 

 like a revelation to the entomologist familiar only with 

 the hundred European species of dragonflies, not more 

 than three or four of which have any considerable amount 

 of colour in the wings, though this is partly atoned for by 

 the bright colours of their bodies. 



Most, if not all, of the figures in the plates are probably 

 original ; but most of the text illustrations are copied 

 from Riley, Packard, Comstock and other well-known 

 writers. 



As is usual with recent American writers, Dr. Howard 

 admits several more families of insects than the seven 

 with which most of our English entomologists are satis- 

 fied. Tables of families are given in several of the 

 orders, which will greatly facilitate the work of a 

 beginner. Otherwise, however, there is little technical 

 matter in the book, which mainly consists of descriptions 

 of habits and transformations. There is a good deal of 

 light readable matter ; and Mr. Marlatt's account of the 

 way in which boys in Kansas rob humble-bees' nests by 

 enticing the bees into a jar half filled with water will be 

 equally new and amusing to most English readers. 



Turning to the end of the volume, we find a good but 

 not too extensive index of thirteen pages, double columns, 

 preceded by a bibliography of twelve pages, very closely 

 printed in double columns, and arranged systematically 

 in a manner that seems a little puzzling till one gets used 

 to it. This will prove a most useful part of the book to 

 serious workers, and it brings out very forcibly the 

 enormous periodical literature to which Dr. Howard 

 alludes in his preface and which is so conspicuous a 

 eature of the American entomological literature of the 



NO. t666, vol. 64] 



present day. The bibliography is preceded by a section 

 on " Collecting and Preserving Insects," freely illus- 

 trated in the text, like the rest of the book, which, 

 although primarily written for .American entomologists, 

 may also furnish useful hints to European collectors. 



We cannot do less than strongly recommend Dr. 

 Howard's book to all entomologists who are interested in 

 theorders of insects to which it refers, repeating th&t the 

 main features of the book are the detailed life-histories 

 and the number of good illustrations of the insects 

 discussed. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 

 Nature Teaching. By Francis Watts, F.I.C., F.C.S. 



Pp. igg. (London ; Dulau and Co. Barbados : Bowen 



and Sons.) 

 This is a very useful volume, issued under the authority 

 of the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture for the 

 West Indies. It is based upon the general principles of 

 agriculture, and has been designed for the use of schools 

 in the islands. .Although these colonies depend entirely 

 on the proper cultivation of the soil, there has hitherto 

 been practically no attempt made to impart to the rising 

 generation a knowledge of even the elements of agri- 

 culture. Like everything else in the mother country and 

 in Britain across the seas, the rule of thumb, happy-go- 

 lucky system has been preferred to scientific methods, 

 with the result that we are all being left behind in the 

 race. The Imperial Commissioner notes that one of the 

 most hopeful features connected with the West Indies is 

 the general movement which is now taking place in 

 favour of agricultural teaching. Teachers in charge of 

 schools have during the past three years been undergoing 

 training sulificient to enable them to impart a fair know- 

 ledge of botanical principles to their scholars, and the 

 volume now prepared by Mr. Watts, with the assistance 

 of Mr. Maxwell-Lefroy, is intended to guide the teachers 

 in the way they should go. The work is divided into 

 nine chapters, dealing respectively with the seed, the 

 root, the stem, the leaf, the soil, plant food and manures, 

 flowers and fruits, weeds, and insects. Simple language 

 is used in describing each subject, and every chapter 

 ends with copious instructions on practical work. Thus 

 the chapter on the seed deals with the parts of a seed ; 

 plant food in seeds ; and germination ; while under 

 " practical work " we find described the conditions for 

 germination ; raising seedlings ; seed beds ; observations 

 on seedlings ; and testing vitality of seeds. A glossary 

 and appendices are added. The book is not intended as 

 an ordinary reading-book, but for the use of the older 

 pupils who have already received oral instruction in the 

 various subjects. 



Casselfs Eyes and No Eyes Series. Book I. Wild Life 

 in Woods and Fields. Pp. 48. Book II. By Pond 

 and River. Pp.48. Book III. Plant Life in Field 

 and Garden. Pp. So. Book IV. Birds of the Air. 

 Pp. 79. By .Arabella B. Buckley (Mrs. Fisher). 

 ^London: Cassell and Co., 1901.) Price, Books I. 

 and II., \d. each ; Books III. and IV., (id. each. 

 These attractive little books will promote an intelligent 

 interest in plants and animals among the children who 

 read them. In very simple words Mrs. Fisher describes 

 some insects, birds, flowers, and other living things 

 familiar to observers of outdoor nature, and her descrip- 

 tions will doubtless direct the attention of many pupils 

 to natural history studies. Each book has several 

 nicely coloured plates in addition to numerous other 

 illustrations. In rural schools the books should be of 

 exceptional value. 



