October 30, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



659 



covered a restricted ground and it goes without 

 saying that he has done it well. In fact, it is 

 difficult to see how it could be bettered. The 

 volume is compact, abundantly illustrated, and 

 contains nothing that is unnecessary. At the 

 same time, it may almost be said that it omits 

 nothing that is necessary, when we consider 

 its especial objects. To cover the whole sub- 

 ject in a volume of less than 500 pages, using, 

 at the same time, nearly 500 text figures, neces- 

 sitates the most careful selection of material, 

 yet so excellently has this been done and so 

 happily has the text been prepared that there 

 is on the one hand no appearance of forced con- 

 densation and on the other no semblance of 

 superficiality. The illustrations for the most 

 part have been borrowed, from which it results 

 that there is great lack of uniformity in their 

 excellence, some of them being extremely good 

 and others very poor. The author evidently 

 endorses the idea that a poor illustration, if not 

 absolutely incorrect, is better than none. 

 Nevertheless, it seems to us that such figures as 

 those of Agallia sanguinolenta, Anasa tristis, 

 Necrophorus Americanus, Silpha Americana, 

 Edema albifrons, Cacoecia rosaceana, Bibio alhi- 

 pennis, Ceraphron triticum and perhaps a dozen 

 others, should have been redrawn for a work 

 of so many other excellencies. The author 

 has made use of photography in some of his 

 illustrations, but it must strike every one in 

 glancing at his plate of bees, for example, 

 that this method of illustration is only of value 

 where great pains have been taken with the 

 prior mounting and preparation of the subject. 

 These slight blemishes, however, detract 

 little from the value of the book, which will 

 undoubtedly soon be in the hands of every 

 teacher of economic entomology in the country, 

 and, let us hope, of very many of the rapidly 

 growing class of scientific farmers and fruit 

 growers. L. O. Howard. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



NEW YORK ACADEMY OP SCIENCE ; BIOLOGICAL 



SECTION, OCTOBER 12, 1896. 



Dr. Bashford Dean and Mr. G. IST. Cal- 

 kins presented preliminary reports upon the re- 

 sults attained at the Columbia University 

 Zoological Laboratory at Port Townsend, Wash- 



ington. The expedition spent about six weeks 

 in exploring and collecting, and brought home 

 large collections from exceptionally favorable 

 collecting grounds. Dr. Dean spent some time 

 at Monterey, Cal., and brought home collec- 

 tions of eggs and embryos of Chimaera and 

 Bdellostoma. 



Dr. J. L. Wortman made a preliminary re- 

 port upon the American Museum Expedition to 

 the Puerco and Wasatch beds. He reported 

 finding a connecting link between the close of 

 the Cretaceous and the beginning of the Ter- 

 tiary. He gave an interesting account of the 

 massive ruins of the so-called cliff dwellers in 

 the region visited by him. In the Big Horn 

 basin the expedition had remarkable success, as 

 well as in the Wind River basin. 



Prof. Osborn stated that with the collections 

 made this summer the American Museum could 

 now announce that their Eocene collection was 

 complete, containing all mammals now known 

 in the Eocene ; that their collection from the 

 Wasatch bed was the finest in existence and 

 that from the Wind Eiver basin was complete ; 

 the Bridger was represented by all but two or 

 three types, and fine collections have been 

 made in the Uinta. 



Mr. W. J. Hornaday made a report of a tour 

 of inspection of foreign zoological gardens, made 

 under the auspices of the New York Zoological 

 Society. He visited fifteen gardens in England 

 and on the Continent, studying the features of 

 excellence in each. 



Prof. Bristol gave a brief account of the prog- 

 ress at the Marine Biological Laboratory at 

 Wood's Holl, Mass., during the past summer. 

 Prof. Osboru offered the following resolution 

 on the death of Prof. G. Brown Goode, after 

 paying a tribute to his memory : 



Besolved, That the members of the Biological Sec- 

 tion of the New York Academy of Sciences desire to 

 express their deep sense of loss in the death of Prof. 

 G. Brown Goode, of the U. S. National Museum. In 

 common with all naturalists in this country, we have 

 admired his intelligent and highly successful admin- 

 istration of the National Museum, as well as his 

 prompt and ready response to the requests and needs 

 of similar institutions throughout the country. 



In face of the arduous and exacting duties of his 

 directorship he has held a leading position among 

 American zoologists and we are indebted to him, for a 



