144 the entomologist's record. 



lapponicus, L., are but the meridional and boreal forms of a single 

 plastic species, whose direct ancestor Shelford found in Baltic amber. 



The author rather neglects the stridulation of the grasshoppers, one 

 of the most charming features of orthopterology. It is a most useful, 

 and by no means difficult, accomplishment to detect and recognise our 

 few stridulent species by their note. I cannot discriminate between 

 Om. viridulus, L., and Om. rufipes, Zett., but St. lineatus, Panz., St. 

 bicolor, Charp, and Oh. parallelus, Zett., are unmistakable. I have 

 often noted the presence of Pholidoptera gris'eoaptera, De Geer, with 

 absolute certainty by its note alone, and it was only by its song that I 

 ran down a colony of Tettigonia vemwivora, L., when that fine fellow 

 was still regarded as one of our greatest rarities. 



In one or two passages the author suggests that the frequent wing- 

 lessness of Orthoptera is a primitive sign, but in my opinion it is 

 invariably a degenerate character. Pantel recently described in great 

 detail an undoubted Anisolabis qnnulipes, Luc, with fully developed 

 organs of flight. In very many species there is a recognised dimor- 

 phism, the fully-winged and the hemiapterous forms, just as the 

 variation in the length of the forceps of the earwigs is really only 

 dimorphism. I prefer not to give varietal names to these, but to refer 

 to them as tbe macro- and cyclo-labious forms respectively : in some 

 species one form, in some the other is normal, while in others again, 

 only the macro-labions or cyclo-labious forms are known. The exten- 

 sion of these organs alters the appearance of the creatures so much, 

 however, that they are often taken for quite distinct species, especially 

 when we have colour variation and wing variation occurring at the 

 same time. 



The photographic plates are very good and interesting, but the 

 lithographic ones are somewhat disappointing. Plate viii. for instance 

 is far from doing justice to our Ectobiids. Plates iii. and xi. are 

 quite good, but pi. xiii. again is rather disappointing. It is a pity 

 that the author has not given profile views of all our Locustids, as 

 this is generally more characteristic than the dorsal aspect, as is well 

 shewn by pl.xvi. Plate xvii. is better coloured, but the brown form 

 of T. yerrucivora might well have been shewn, and the small figures 

 are indistinct. As there are so many coloured plates it seems 

 ungracious to complain, but S. lineatus and Q. maculatus would have 

 been better shewn in profile, and both of these and G. rufus lend 

 themselves well to colour reproduction. 



The author overlooks one or two points, such as Shelford's paper 

 on fossil cockroaches in Baltic amber, and my own on fossil earwigs 

 from the same origin. He omits mention of the peculiar reversal of 

 the organs of flight in the nymphs of the saltatorial Orthoptera, and 

 though he refers to Mouffet's loans classicus on cockroaches, he neglects 

 the old author's quaint remarks on earwigs, Finally, it is a pity ttiafc 

 neither Phaneroptera fclcata, Scop., nor Pachytylus danicus, L., has 

 been figured. A profile view of both these " reputed " British species 

 would have helped and encouraged students. 



But the whole work is a splendid contribution to the literature of 

 our British fauna, and it will be very disappointing if it is not the 

 direct cause of vigorous recruiting to the ranks of our few Orthop- 

 terists.— M.B. 



