22 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXII. Ko. 809 



well luiown as varying greatly in coloration. 

 He has examined large series of six (one new) 

 European and three North American species, 

 and given many notes on geographic distribu- 

 tion, replacement of one species by another, 

 habits, comparative abundance, etc. The 

 plates illustrate the variation in color, several 

 species ranging from pale yellowish to black. 



" The Fauna of British India " is rapidly 

 'becoming a very important work for all ento- 

 mologists. To the several valuable volumes 

 already issued Mr. Maleom Burr has added a 

 volume on the earwigs (Forficulidae) of 

 India." The author has examined nearly all 

 the types, and figures almost all of the 133 

 species. He gives an outline classification of 

 the earwigs of the world; structural charac- 

 ters, habits, food, maternal care of young, and 

 geographical distribution of the group. He 

 considers that the forceps are weapons of of- 

 fense and defense, but are also used to test 

 and hold food. Their food is usually dead 

 insects. 



Volume XVII. of the Memoirs of the En- 

 tomological Society of Belgium contains two 

 important papers on coleoptera. One, by 

 Professor A. Lameere, a continuation of his 

 revision of the Prionides, pp. 1-70, contains 

 synopses of genera, Derancistrus, Pwcilosom,a, 

 Calocomus, Pyrodes and Solarus. The other 

 paper is by F. Eichebaum, a catalogue of the 

 genera of Staphjdinidffi, pp. 71-278. Under 

 each genus are the references, the generic 

 description, distribution, number of species 

 and habits of the known larvae. Over 800 

 genera are thus treated, containing nearly 

 12,000 species. 



The new parts of Schenkling's " Coleopter- 

 orum Catalogus " are part 4, Ipidae, by M. 

 Hagedorn, 134 pages (this name is used for 

 the beetles known to us as Scolytid») ; he 

 also includes references to the habits of these 

 bark-beetles; part 5, Cupedidse and Paussidae, 



' " Recherches sur la variability du genre Noto- 

 necta," Contribution a. I'Stude de la notion 

 d'esp6ce, Bnll. Sci. France Belgique, XLIII., pp. 

 373-i21, 2 col. plates, 1910. 



^ " The Fauna of British India, Dermaptera 

 (Earwigs)," London, 1910, pp. 217, 10 pis. 



by E. Gestro, 31 pages; part 6, ApioninaB, by 

 H. Wagner, 81 pages; part 7, Brenthidas, by 

 H. von Sehonfeldt, 57 pages; part 8, Lucan- 

 idae, by G. van Roon, 70 pages; part 9, Lam- 

 pyridse, by E. Olivier, 68 pages, he also gives 

 references to descriptions of larvae; part 10, 

 Ehagophthalmidse and Drilidse, by E. Olivier, 

 10 pages; part 11, Temnochilidse, by A. Le- 

 veille, 40 pages, and part 12, Endomychidse, 

 by E. Csiki, 68 pages. Each part can be pur- 

 chased separately. 



Dr. O. M. Eeuter with aid of B. Poppius 

 has issued a first part of a monograph of the 

 Nabidae.* This part deals with all of the 

 family except the Eeduviolina. There are but 

 few new species; eight genera and eighty spe- 

 cies are described in this part. 



E. Becker is the author of a valuable paper 

 on the mouth parts of dipterous larvae.^ The 

 article treats almost wholly of the lower 

 groups of Diptera, Chironomiis, Simulium 

 and Tipula, but has a chapter on the reduc- 

 tion of the head as found in Musca and 

 Anthomyia. 



Dr. Kertesz has issued another volume of 

 his world catalogue of flies." This includes 

 three families, the Empidse, with 1,547 species ; 

 the Dolicopodidae, with 1,386 species, and the 

 Musidoridse, with nine species. The genus 

 Lonchoptera is replaced by the earlier name 

 Musidora, although this name was abandoned 

 by its author. 



Mr. W. F. Kirby has completed the cata- 

 logue of the Orthoptera by the issuance of the 

 third volume,' which treats of the Loeustidae, 

 better known to us as Acrididae, or grasshop- 

 pers. This volume also includes additions to 

 the previous volumes. 



Nathan Banks 



'' " Monographia Nabidarum orbis terrestris," 

 Act. Soc. Sci. Fenn., XXXVII., No. 2, 62 pp. 1 pi., 

 1909. 



° " Zur Kenntnis der Mundteile und des Kopfes 

 der Dipteren-Larven," Zool. Jahrb., Abt. Anat., 

 XXIX., pp. 281-314, 3 pis,, 1910. 



" "' Catalogus Dipterorura husque descriptorum," 

 Vol. VI., pp. 362, 1909, Budapest. 



' " A Synonymic Catalogue of Orthoptera," III., 

 British Museum, 1910, pp. 674. 



