August 6, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



191 



any insect be happens to have obtained. In 

 preparing this key, the authors have taken 

 advantage of all previous work which appeared 

 serviceable, added to their own extensive 

 knowledge of a number of groups, so the result 

 is probably not far from the best attainable in 

 the present state of our knowledge. The book 

 will be invaluable to all students of entomol- 

 ogy, and will be in constant use in every 

 entomological laboratory. The details of in- 

 sect classification are not so well established 

 that it is possible to present a system which 

 will be universally approved. In the present 

 case we recognize a number of improvements 

 over arrangements previously current, but we 

 must protest against the uncritical adoption of 

 the system of Handlirsch. It is actually pro- 

 posed to recognize five classes of insects, the 

 additional four being made out of the Aptera, 

 one of them containing the recently discovered 

 Protura. Then, again, the old order Orthop- 

 tera is divided into a long series of orders, 

 placed in two subclasses. The reviewer has 

 not critically reconsidered the whole subject to 

 determine exactly what support may be found 

 for all these changes, but neither has any one 

 else in this country, so far as we know, for it 

 would involve many months or years of inten- 

 sive labor, with access to very large collections. 

 The reviewer has however had much occasion 

 to use Handlirsch's great work " Die fossilen 

 Insekten," in which the new classification ap- 

 pears, and has come to a clear estimate of its 

 merits and faults. It is a wonderful compila- 

 tion, showing enormous industry and great 

 ability, and will always rank as a classic in 

 the literature of entomology ; but in detail, and 

 especially in its innovations, it is not to be 

 trusted, the taxonomic arrangements set forth 

 with so much assurance being often based on 

 very inadequate grounds or imperfect knowl- 

 edge. It may well be that this author has been 

 taken more seriously than he himself intended. 

 A new classification, even if faulty, is of value 

 if it stimulates thought and is received in a 

 critical though friendly spirit; to adopt it 

 en bloc without criticism is in a sense to do an 

 injustice to the eminent author. 



Only frequent use wiU show how serviceable 



the key is in all its details. Undoubtedly many 

 little changes will be required in the next 

 edition. As the authors observe, the families 

 are not of equal rank, and it seems impractica- 

 ble to make them so. All the scale insects and 

 mealy-bugs are still Cocoidse, all the ants are 

 called Formicidse, while the bees are divided 

 into twelve families. 



t. d. a. cookeeell 

 University op Colokado 



ON TEE ACOUSTICS OF TEE CEAFEL OF 

 ADELBEST COLLEGE 



In Science of November 14, 1913, was pub- 

 lished a short account of experiments made to 

 determine the effect of a sounding board on 

 the acoustic qualities of the chapel of Adelbert 

 College. The sounding board, constructed at 

 the suggestion of the architect of the building, 

 and in accordance with his specifications, was 

 of the canopy type, about six feet in diameter, 

 and suspended about two feet above the head 

 of the speaker. An investigation showed, as 

 was not unexpected, that the sounding board 

 was without noticeable effect, and it became 

 necessary to try other remedies. 



A sufficiently detailed description of the inte- 

 rior of the chapel is given in the previous 

 article, and need not be repeated. The ceiling 

 of the building is of wood, the walls are in part 

 of stone, and in part of plaster laid directly 

 upon the stone without lath or furring. 



There was no evidence, as was before stated, 

 of special or local echoes. The difficulty was 

 plainly one of excessive reverberation, due to 

 the insufficient absorbing power of the walls 

 and ceiling. It was evident that the only 

 effective remedy was to cover a portion of the 

 walls with highly absorbent material, after the 

 manner devised by Professor Sabine, of Har- 

 vard University. The generosity of the donors 

 of the chapel provided the necessary means ; the 

 work was intrusted to an " acoustic engineer," 

 a former student of Professor Sabine's, and 

 Mr. Sabine himself was good enough to aid 

 with counsel and suggestion. 



Calculation showed that a reasonably effect- 

 ive treatment might be obtained by covering 

 the ceiling and the upper part of the walls 



