OCTOBEB 25, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



559 



in what genera tlie component species were 

 formerly placed, and an author's interpreta- 

 tion of a genus is placed under another genus 

 as a synonym without hinting that that 

 author was not the original describer of the 

 genus. A new genus — Parallelostethus — in- 

 cludes P. aitenuatus Say, the Ludiios atten- 

 uatiis of the Henshaw list. 



Fascicle 50 is on the Plastoceridse, a small 

 group near Elateridas; it is by Otto Schwarz; 

 9 pages, 1 plate. Many species of this group 

 are from California. 



Fascicle 51 is on the Dicronychidse, a small 

 group of African beetles near to the Elate- 

 ridse; it is also by Otto Schwarz, 5 pages, 1 

 plate. 



Fascicle 52 is by H. Schouteden on the 

 subfamily Asopinse of the Pentatomidag ; 82 

 pages and 5 colored plates. He restricts 

 Perillus to P. confluens, and for our other 

 species makes a new genus, Perilloides. For 

 Podisus he uses the same Apateticus Dallas, 

 and most of our species fall in a new sub- 

 genus — Eupodisus. This fascicle is easily 

 above the average of the " Genera." 



Fascicle 53 is on the Lampyridse or fire- 

 flies, by E. Olivier; 7i pages and 3 colored 

 plates. His idea of the family is much nar- 

 rower than that of Leconte; the Lycini, 

 Phengodini and Teleophorini are omitted. 

 He uses Lecontea for Pyractomena of our 

 lists, and Ellychnia and Pyropyga fall as 

 synonyms of Lucidoia. Over 1,000 species are 

 ■ catalogued, but unfortunately many are 

 briefly described in foot-notes. 



Fascicle 54 is by J. J. Kieffer on the Dry- 

 inidse; 33 pages, 2 plates. This includes 

 about 300 species. There is no mention of 

 the family Proctotrypidse, under which family 

 these tiny Hymenoptera are known to most 

 entomologists. The genera are extremely 

 numerous for a small family. 



Fascicle 55, by E. Shelford, on the subfamily 

 Ectobinse of the Blattidse, or cockroaches; 13 

 pages, 1 plate. It includes a table of the 

 subfamilies of cockroaches. 



Fascicle 56 is by V. L. Kellogg on the 

 fragile flies of the family Blepharoceridse; 15 



pages, 2 plates, one of the plates with figures 

 of larvae. It is much less valuable than his 

 paper on the American forms. 



The late Baron Edmond de Selys Long- 

 champs made provision for the publication of 

 a descriptive catalogue of his collections, now 

 in the Belgian National Museum. His col- 

 lection was largely in Neuroptera, and in the 

 Odonata, or dragon-flies, it was the largest 

 and most important in the world. Two parts 

 of this descriptive catalogue are now issued. 

 Fascicle XVII. on the Cordulines, a group of 

 dragon-flies, is by Eene Martin ; 94 pages, 3 

 colored plates, and 94 text figures. This part 

 includes all the described species, and a de- 

 scription is given of each form, many of them 

 new. The references are often incomplete, 

 and there seems to be a general lack of sys- 

 tematic treatment. The second part to ap- 

 pear is fascicle VI. on the Trichoptera, or 

 caddice-flies ; it is by Georg Ulmer, 102 pages, 

 4 colored plates and 132 text figures. It 

 includes only species in the Selys collection, 

 which was not large in this group. The new 

 species are mostly from Japan; new descrip- 

 tions are given of several American species. 

 Unfortunately the author has been careless 

 in the use of the word " type." 



Professor C. Frionnet has treated sys- 

 tematically the caterpillars of France.' He 

 gives a general account of caterpillars and 

 chrysalides, and a synoptic table to the cater- 

 pillars of the 213 species of butterflies known 

 to occur in France. Under each species there 

 is a description of the caterpillar, the date 

 of feeding, name of food plants, eggs, dis- 

 tribution in France, habits, and the known 

 parasites. There are lists of parasites and 

 hosts, and of plants and caterpillars feeding 

 on each. An extensive bibliography of the 

 subject is given in the early part of the book, 

 A work on the caterjpillars of the Eastern 

 States, on the same plan, would be of great 

 value. 



* " Les premiers fitats des LepidoptSres f rangais : 

 Rhopaloeera," Mem. Soc. Lett. Sci. Arts Agrie. 

 Ind. St.-Dizier; 322 pp., 3 pis., 1906. 



