50 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. LV, No. 1411 



borer." It was intimated that eburia quadri- 

 geminata (Say) spent forty j'ears growing 

 from egg to mature larva, in the top piece 

 of an old birch bookcase. A number of such 

 stories are current, but I am of the opinion 

 that the simple solution of the whole matter 

 is as follows : Eburia quadrigeminata breeds in 

 the heartwood of dead, dry, seasoned logs and 

 wood, — Hicoria, Quercus, Bohinia, Betula, 

 Fagus, Fraxinus, Castanea, TJlmus and perhaps 

 others. The eggs are placed in the cracks and 

 crevices of dry, weathered or seasoned sears, 

 "cat faces," and similar placed. An impreg- 

 nated female in some manner got into the house, 

 and in crawling over the piece of furniture 

 took advantage of a crack in the varnish or 

 wood, and inserted an egg. 



I can not believe that any Cerambycid larva 

 could exist for forty years in a piece of fur- 

 niture. In fact, the normal duration of the 

 larval stage of insects of this family is from 

 one to five years. 



I think the same explanation will cover the 

 other case mentioned in this article. The adults 

 of this species often hide beneath bark, and 

 might have crawled between the bricks and 

 doorsill. 



A. B. Champlain 

 Pennsylvania Bureau 



or Plant Industry, 

 Harriseukg, Pa. 



PERCIVAL LOWELL 



The absorbing interest that Dr. Percival 

 Lowell was able to throw about the astrono- 

 mical investigations of his later years has ob- 

 scured to an extent the fact that he was a man 

 of many parts. There are comparatively few 

 who are familiar with his keen observations of 

 the nearer Orient, crystallized into published 

 essays, and fewer still have known of his in- 

 terest in botany, geology and general natui-al 

 history, in one or more departments of which 

 he has made contributions to science. 



A comprehensive view of him is presented 

 in Miss Louise Leonard's recent volume, 

 "Percival Lowell — An Afterglow" (Boston: 

 The Gorham Press), a book which through the 

 medium of selections from his own writings 

 shows him in his variety of studies. No seri- 



ous undertaking has yet been made towards a 

 biography of Lowell — the time since he passed 

 on is perhaps yet too short, but in this volume 

 one has a valuable reminder of him. Extracts 

 from his letters are deftly framed in a Fore- 

 word, a prelude and an afterpiece, the last a 

 poem that he loved. There is no appraisal of 

 Dr. Lowell's scientific achievements, but every- 

 where is reflected his spirit of investigation, 

 cheerfulness and wish to help his fellow man. 



J. E. 



THE PASTEUR CENTENARY 

 The year 1922 marks the lapse of a century 

 from the 3'ear of Louis Pasteur's birth and a 

 "Centenary" volimie of Pasteur's collected 

 scientific writings would be a fitting homage to 

 the memory of such a man. 



In view of the conditions in Europe, is it 

 not possible for investigators here to sponsor 

 such an undertaking, in the English language, 

 and contribute to it by means of translations 

 of the original Trench articles and memoirs? 



AuGusTo Bonazzi 

 Ohio Agricultural 

 Experiment Station, 

 WoosTER, Ohio 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 

 Insect Transformation. By George H. Car- 

 penter, D. Sc, Professor of Zoology, Royal 

 College of Science, Dublin, London. Methuen 

 & Co. Ltd. 1921, pp. 282, figs. 124. 

 Professor Carpenter for many years has 

 been doing admirable work in Ireland. Well 

 trained in biology, and a broad zoologist, he has 

 interested himself in many aspects of scientific 

 work. His publications on crop and animal 

 pests have been of great service to the Irish 

 farmers and stock growers; he has been much 

 interested in the admirable zoological garden 

 in Dublin, where they breed lions in confine- 

 ment more suceessfullj' than in any other place 

 in the world, and has been active in the Royal 

 Irish Academy, of which he is secretary. 



His book on "Insect Transformation," just 

 published, is a mature book, written by a broad 

 man, and differs in many interesting and im- 

 portant ways from any book yet published. 



