OCTOBER 29, 1897. ] 
itself. The training of the observational facul- 
ties is what the college instructor in natural 
history more especially desires in the prepara- 
tion for higher work, and it matters little 
whether that training has been obtained in the 
study of botany, zoology, physiology or geology. 
In the little work that has recently been pub- 
lished by Professor and Mrs. Comstock another 
step in the right direction has been made. The 
material for instruction in entomology is every- 
where at hand, summer and winter, and for its 
abundance, diversity and instructiveness is un- 
excelled in any department of elementary 
biology ; and ‘Insect Life’ has made the way 
plain for this elementary instruction in high 
schools and the higher grades of the grammar 
school under intelligent teachers. The work is 
an introduction to the study of animal life, call- 
ing for direct observation on the part of both 
teacher and pupil, and itis a better text-book 
for elementary instruction than any general 
work on botany or zoology can be, for classifi- 
cation is only an incidental part of the book. 
Excepting a few elementary chapters on the 
anatomy, metamorphoses and classification of 
insects, nearly the whole book is devoted to 
nature-study of the more familiar insects in their 
own haunts and in the laboratory. The con- 
cluding chapters tell in simple language how to 
prepare and preserve specimens for the cabinet. 
The pupil is encouraged to make a special 
study of some branch, and there can be no ques- 
tion but that such special study will do more to 
quicken his powers of observation and his enthu- 
siasm than any amount of generalizations. The 
book fills a unique place in entomological 
literature and is to be highly commended. It 
is written simply and is fully and admirably 
illustrated by Mrs. Comstock. 
: Ss. W. W. 
SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 
BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 279TH 
MEETING, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9TH. 
Mr. L. O. Howarpd exhibited a specimen of 
the Giant Water Beetle of Cuba. 
Mr. R. T. Hill, under the title ‘Notes on An- 
tillean Faunas, Past and Present,’ gave a re- 
sumé of his studies on the geology of the region, 
describing the various upheavals and subsi- 
SCIENCE. 
671 
dences that had taken place and their effects 
on the fauna of the West Indies and particu- 
larly of Jamaica. He stated that communica- 
tion between the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico 
was cut off much earlier than had been gen- 
erally supposed. 
Professor Barton W. Evermann spoke of 
‘The Catfish of Louisiana,’ stating that few 
were aware of the extent of the fishery, 2,000,- 
000 pounds being shipped annually. Two spe- 
cies were taken, Ictalurus furcatus and I. nigri- 
cans, the latter species having for some time 
been regarded as belonging to the genus Ami- 
urus. During low water the fishes were taken 
in the bayous by means of extremely long trout 
lines, but during high water they were taken in 
the flooded woods, mostly on single lines. 
Dr. Theo. Gill discussed ‘The Inadequacy 
of the Order Bunotheria,’ stating that the 
group was not a natural one. 
F. A. Lucas, 
Secretary. 
NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, SECTION OF 
GEOLOGY, OCTOBER 18, 1897. 
THE first meeting of the Section for the 
autumn was largely devoted to accounts by 
various members of the scientific meetings of 
interest held during the summer. President 
Stevenson spoke briefly of the work of the 
International Congress of Geologists at St. 
Petersburg. The Secretary spoke of the 
work of the Geographical Section of the 
British Association for the Advancement of 
Science, at Toronto, and Professor Martin 
gave a similar account of the work of the Geo- 
logical Section at the same meeting. The prin- 
cipal paper of the evening, apart from these 
descriptions, was by Mr. Charles Bullman, who 
gave a descriptive account of the location and 
character of the auriferous gravels of the State 
of Colombia, illustrated by many specimens. 
In the opinion of the speaker, the auriferous 
gravels are of wide distribution and thickness, 
and of exceeding value, and much more ex- 
tensively distributed than stated by Mr. F. C. 
Nicholas, who gave a paper before the Academy 
on the same topic at one of the spring meet- 
ings. The speaker believes that the gold de- 
posits are still being laid down with consider- 
