876 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VIII. No. 207 



foresees and judges to be advantageous (p. 237). 

 The human intellect is the great source of telic 

 activity (p. 245). 



"We fully endorse this view of social evolution, 

 which is, in the main lines, in accord with the 

 results of the most recent investigations (Tarde, 

 Baldwin, Giddings, Barth, Stein). But we must 

 call attention to the fact that Dr. "Ward's sug- 

 gestive theory of social telesis cannot acquire a 

 definite meaning if not interpreted in the light 

 of the Imitation-theory. How does invention, 

 i. e., the normal result of telic activity, act 

 upon the social milieu, thus becoming a ' cause ' 

 of transformation of the social conditions ? In 

 other words, what is the way of propagation of 

 the typical social force, of the dynamic agent, 

 desire, motive, will power ? Dr. "Ward is silent 

 on this point. Here, evidently, the leading- 

 string is the Imitation-theory, which once more 

 appears to be the corner-stone of sociology. 



In conclusion, Dr. Ward's book is a very val- 

 uable work, which will undoubtedly contribute 

 to clear the way of the cumbersome remains of 

 the ' biologic ' analogies, thus securing the pre- 

 dominance of the psychological interpretation 

 of society, owing to which the shapeless embryo 

 of science, or, rather, the reservoir of ' mau- 

 vaise litterature, ' known for so long as Sociol- 

 ogy, is gradually being changed into a body of 

 knowledge exhibiting some of the characteristic 

 attributes of science. 



Gustavo Tosti. 



The Instincts and Habits of the Solitary Wasps. 



By Geo. "W. and Elizabeth G. Peckham. 



Published by the State of Wisconsin. 1898. 



Pp. 245. Pis. xiv. 



It is not too much to say that this work will 

 be regarded as a classic, not only on account of 

 its scientific value, but also as literature. It 

 has all the lucidity and charm that we are ac- 

 customed to associate with Gallic genius, while 

 at the same time its exactness in detail would 

 do credit to a German professor. It is a book 

 of incalculable educational value, for it not only 

 exhibits the delights of intelligent nature study, 

 but shows what admirable work may still be 

 done, in any garden in the country, by persons 

 of either sex and almost any age beyond child- 

 hood. It does not lay stress on laboratories or 



apparatus, nor does it demand the outlay of 

 money ; those who would follow in the footsteps 

 of our authors have only to exercise those facul- 

 ties provided them by nature, and, if they have 

 it in them to succeed, success will be theirs. 



But let it not be imagined that the work is 

 easy or simple. There is scope for intellectual 

 exercise to the utmost limit, while physical en- 

 durance and patience are essential. Think of 

 the mental attitude of some being from Mars 

 who should be placed in a position to observe 

 the doings in a busy city on this earth. How 

 extraordinary, how inexplicable, would some of 

 our most simple and every-day proceedings 

 appear ! How wild would be his guesses as to 

 the meaning of this or that ! Yet the student 

 of insect psychology is hardly in a more favor- 

 able position, and it requires the closest atten- 

 tion and keenest wit to avoid gross errors of 

 judgment. This is well seen in the fact that 

 our present authors have to correct even the 

 accomplished and painstaking Fabre in many 

 of his important conclusions. 



Then as to physical endurance ; our authors 

 watched their wasps throughout the long hours 

 of the summer days, and sometimes far into 

 the night. When studying Ammophila they 

 write: "For a whole week of scorching sum- 

 mer weather we lived in the bean patch, scorn- 

 ing fatigue. We quoted to each other the 

 example of Fabre' s daughter Claire, whose de- 

 termination to solve the problem of Odynrus 

 led to a sunstroke. We followed scores of 

 wasps as they hunted ; we ran, we threw our- 

 selves upon the ground, we scrambled along on 

 our hands and knees, in desperate endeavors to 

 keep them in view, and yet they escaped us. 

 After we had kept one in sight for an hour or 

 more some sudden flight would carry her far 

 away and all our labor was lost. At last, how- 

 ever, our day came. We were doing a little 

 hunting on our own account, hoping to find 

 some larvse which we could drop in view of the 

 wasps and thus lead them to display their 

 powers, when we saw an urnaria fly up from 

 the ground to the underside of a bean leaf and 

 knock down a small green caterpillar. Breath- 

 less with an excitement which will be under- 

 stood by those who have tasted the joy of such 

 a moment, we hung over the actors in our little 



