Apkil 4, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



527 



of a monograph to include all possible infor- 

 mation concerning all mosqviitoes " of North 

 and Central America and the West Indies. 

 It was at first expected that the work could be 

 completed in three years, and the grants made 

 covered that period. At the end of that time, 

 however, the work was considered still too im- 

 perfect to publish, and was continued for sev- 

 eral years more with funds derived from other 

 sources. We now have before us only part of 

 the work, namely, the volume covering the 

 subject in a general way, with a discussion of 

 its medical aspects, and the volume of plates. 

 The descriptions of the genera and species, 

 with detailed information as to distribution 

 and other matters, will follow at some later 

 date. 



To those who are not specialists in entomo- 

 logical taxonomy, the first volume is of course 

 by far the most interesting and important, 

 though the later parts will contain a larger 

 proportion of original matter, and will bring 

 out most clearly the great advances made in 

 our knowledge of the Culicidse by the authors. 

 One's first impression on taking up the first 

 volume is that of wonder at the space needed 

 (520 pages) for what is, after all, a general 

 introductory discussion. On perusing the 

 separate chapters, we are inclined to change 

 our attitude, and marvel rather that it has 

 been possible to treat of so many important 

 topics in a single volume. Then again, our 

 first naive astonishment that so much is 

 known about mosquitoes gives way to a pro- 

 found sense of the great amount there is yet 

 to learn. The monograph is " complete " in 

 the sense that it apparently includes all the 

 important available information bearing upon 

 its topic, but almost every chapter suggests to 

 the mind of the reader numerous possible in- 

 teresting researches. Thus the book is one of 

 those live ones which will, as the result of one 

 of its merits, soon become more or less out of 

 date. 



Modern science demands the publication of 

 works which are too expensive and of too 

 broad a scope to be, except in rare instances, 

 prepared by a single man. Thus the mosquito 

 monograph, due to three authors, and con- 



taining in addition extensive quotations from 

 many others, stands as a type of the scientific 

 monographs (if the word may still be al- 

 lowed!) of the future. Prepared by men who 

 are thoroughly familiar with the subject, hav- 

 ing contributed many more new observations 

 than any others in this country, it is very far 

 from being a mere compilation ; yet there has 

 been no hesitation in compiling from the best 

 sources in every case, with full credit given 

 and usually the exact words of the writers 

 cited. All this involves a certain sacrifice of 

 ostensible originality, but it is much to be 

 preferred to the method of many writers of 

 general works, who, on the plea of uniformity 

 of treatment, undertake to discuss subjects 

 they do not understand, and in using other 

 writings make all sorts of blunders. In the 

 present instance the authors distinctly state 

 that they are " entomologists and not physi- 

 cians or medical investigators," and so the 

 chapters dealing with medical matters " are 

 not the result of original investigation," al- 

 though it is well known that the senior author 

 is an expert on medical entomology. 



Following the Introduction is a chapter 

 headed Early Accounts of Mosquitoes, which 

 includes among other things a long and inter- 

 esting quotation from Humboldt. The struc- 

 ture of the mosquito is discussed in about 80 

 pages, including the immature stages as well 

 as the adult. Standard descriptions are 

 quoted from Child, Dimmock, Kellogg, Nut- 

 tall and Shipley, Snodgrass, J. W. W. Ste- 

 phens, Christophers, Raschke, Hurst, Eysell 

 and others; but the original observations of 

 the authors are more interesting than any of 

 these, since they alone know enough species to 

 give a good comparative account. So much 

 that is significant appears from the compara- 

 tive study of the different organs of various 

 Culicidse, that there is evidently a splendid 

 field for further research along the same lines, 

 especially in reference to the internal organs. 

 When the taxonomic volume appears, it will 

 no doubt be possible for workers in any part 

 of the country to readily and accurately de- 

 termine the species they may use in such 

 studies. 



