Mabch 18, 1910] 



SCIENCE 



433 



the disease that seriously affects grouse. The 

 figures of the structure of some of these forms 

 are extremely good, and particularly useful 

 are those of the larvse of the Scatophaga. 



M. E. Eabaud has published a brief but in- 

 teresting article on the habits of certain soli- 

 tary wasps known as Pompilidae." He objects 

 to the anthropomorphic interpretations fre- 

 quently given of the habits of these insects. 

 He notes much variation in the methods of 

 capture and mutilation of prey, as well as in 

 the interest they take in their work. He con- 

 cludes that the sense which guides the insect 

 in the selection of prey is sight and not smell. 



Three parts of the new " Coleopterorum 

 Catalogus " of Dr. Schenkling have been is- 

 sued: I., on the family Ehyssodidse, 11 pp., is 

 by R. Gestro; II., Nilionidse, Othniidee, 

 .^HgialitidsB, Petriidse, Lagriidse, 32 pp., is by 

 F. Borchmann; III., Alleculidse, 80 pp., is also 

 by F. Borchmann. This name is used in place 

 of the Cistelidse; the interpretation of Cistela 

 familiar to us being erroneous and now called 

 Gonodera Muls. The catalogue is on the same 

 plan as the famous catalogue of Gemminger 

 and von Harold, but the derivations of the 

 generic names are omitted. 



To the ranks of the peculiar wingless 

 Phoridse Dr. Tragardh adds a new genus' from 

 South Africa. Crypiopteromyia jeanssoni has 

 the wings reduced to mere scales, barely 

 visible, the antennae have a large bulbous base 

 and a long hairy tip, the legs are long and 

 strong and the body is but weakly chitinized. 



The manual of Indian insects recently pub- 

 lished by H. Maxwell-Lefroy and F. M. Hew- 

 lett' will undoubtedly be a most useful work 

 for local students. It is a very bulky volume, 



" " Notes critiques sur les mcBurs des Pompiles," 

 Bull. Sci. France, Belgique, (7), XLIII., pp. 170- 

 182, 1909. 



' " Cryptopteromyia, eine neue Phoriden-Gat- 

 tung mit reduzierten Flugeln aus Natal, nebst 

 Eemerkungen iiber Thaumatoxena und Termito- 

 deipnus," Zool. Jahri., Ait. Syst., Vol. 28, pp. 

 329-346, 1909, 1 pi., 16 figs. 



'"Indian Insect Life: A Manual of the Insects 

 of the Plains," Agric. Research Institute, Pusa, 

 India, 1909, 786 pp., 535 figs., 83 pis., some colored. 



and full of interest to those who are unfa- 

 miliar with the insects of India. The authors 

 do not treat all Indian insects, those of the 

 hills and the coasts being omitted. There is a 

 long introduction telling of the structure and 

 habits, collections in India, geographical di- 

 visions of India, relation of insects to man, 

 etc. Each order is treated from the lowest up 

 to the Ehynchota. Under each are direc- 

 tions for collecting the forms of each family, 

 as well as habits, structure, life-history and 

 number of species in India. As " interludes " 

 are about eighteen chapters on general sub- 

 jects scattered through the volume; such are: 

 Cosmopolitan insects, deceptive coloring, galls, 

 migration, song of insects, blood-sucking in- 

 sects, aquatic insects, insects and flowers, etc. 

 A number of figures are copied from other 

 works, but most are original, and the plates 

 are good, although, one fears, sometimes too 

 highly colored. The economic importance of 

 the various species is always considered, and 

 most of the principal injurious forms are fig- 

 ured, often in all their stages. 



ISTathan Banks 



TEE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 



The annual meeting of the Botanical Society 

 of America was held in the Harvard Medical 

 School, Boston, Mass., December 27-31, 1909, 

 under the presidency of Professor Roland Thaxter, 

 over fifty members being in attendance. 



The officers for 1910 are: 



President — Erwin F. Smith, Bureau of Plant 

 Industry. 



Vice-president — Louis R. Jones, University of 

 Wisconsin. 



Treasurer — Arthur Hollick, New York Botanical 

 Garden. 



Secretary — George T. Moore, Missouri Botanical 

 Garden. 



Councilors — ^William Trelease, Missouri Botan- 

 ical Garden; F. E. Clements, University of Minne- 

 sota; C. L. Sheer, Bureau of Plant Industry. 



The following eight botanists were elected asso- 

 ciate members of the society: John Hendley Barn- 

 hart, New York Botanical Garden; Edward W. 

 Berry, Johns Hopkins University; Mintin Asbury 

 Chrysler, University of Maine; Reginald R. Gates, 

 Missouri Botanical Garden; Otto Emery Jennings, 

 Carnegie Museum; Aven Nelson, University of 



