160 THE ENTOMOLOGIST'S RECORD. 



(CURRENT NOTES AND SHORT NOTICES. 



A considerable amount of current entomological literature has 

 come to hand during the last few months of which pressure on our 

 restricted space has prevented previous mention. The belated Bolletino 

 Lab. Zool. Gen. e Agr., Portici, vol. xi., for 1916. has just been received 

 and contains numerous studies on predaceous and parasitic species 

 among " other orders," no less, than five of which are by Prof. 

 Silvestri. There are seven plates and 108 figures illustrating the 

 text. In an interesting article di Majo describes a series of experi- 

 ments as to the power and ability of the imago of Bombyx mori to 

 penetrate the cocoon when rendered abnormal artificially. The 

 current issue of the same periodical, vol. xiv. for 1920, is also largely 

 made up by further valuable contributions from the pen of Prof. 

 Sylvestri, in one of which he deals with the Termitophiles of West 

 Africa. Dr. Verity has another of his valuable articles on the variation 

 and distribution of the Lepidoptera of Italy, in which he deals with 

 the Zygaanids and the Butterflies of the Massiccio delle Mainarde. 

 The volume has one plate and 108 diagrammatic text figures. 



No doubt our readers are already aware that the four volumes 

 dealing with Palsearctic species of Seitz' Macro -lepidoptera of the 

 World, English edition, are now complete and obtainable from the 

 publishers. We are told that the volume containing the Butterflies of 

 the America Fauna is complete in the German edition and almost 

 complete in the English edition. But owing to an unfortunate dispute 

 between the publishers and the English agents much delay arises in 

 the distribution of the parts in this country. To those who are 

 subscribing for the whole work, we may say that up to part 213 has 

 been received by the Entomological Society of London direct from the 

 publishers. 



The usual annual Report on the Progress and Condition of the 

 U.S. National Museum for 1919-20 is interesting reading. One often 

 wishes that a similar report could be issued on our British Museum. 

 What a wonderful record it would be and if judiciously distributed 

 would be a splendid advertisement. 216,871 specimens have been 

 acquired during the year of which no less than 101,554 were zoological. 

 There was a distribution of 4,306 specimens for educational purposes 

 and in addition 16,200 duplicate specimens were used in making 

 further additions by exchange, a practice which might be advan- 

 tageously copied by our Natural History Museum authorities. Large 

 collections of insects were acquired including 5,500 Lepidoptera from 

 Hawaii and S. America, 2,000 moths from N. America by Dr. Wm. 

 Barnes, 6,000 insects from Honduras, and 5,770 from Florida. The 

 Report is illustrated. 



The Eighteenth Report of the State Entomologist of Minnesota, 

 U.S.A., contains as its chief item a " Monograph of the N. American 

 species of Deraencoris (Heteroptera, Miridae), with a large number of 

 diagrams illustrating comparative structures," by H. H. Knight. 

 " Studies on the Flight of Nocturnal Lepidoptera," by W. C. Cook, 

 deals statistically with the seasonal factor and also with various phases 

 of the meterological factors which determine this habit. 



Were it not for the capital summary of Robert Adkin, " Migration 

 of Lepidoptera as regards the British Islands," and the report of the 



