50 



ren County last November. The reported collections of Austin from 

 Bergen County, by Eckfelt from AVarren County, and by Torrey 

 from Passaic County, all proved to be other species, or are repre- 

 sented by no specimen. Torrey, however, did later find "a small form 

 of the species" in Green Bank State Forest, Atlantic County, in 

 1936. The specimen collected by the writer consisted of squamules 

 only. 



BOOK REVIEWS 



The A. B. G. of Insects 



Introducing Insects : A Book for Beginners. By James G. Needham. The 

 Jaques Cattell Press, Lancaster, Penna. 1940. Pp. v + 129. $1.50. 



Biting into a wormy apple is an unpleasant experience ! Unpack- 

 ing the dress suit after it has been stored for a while only to find 

 that it has a few conspicuous moth holes can be very distressing. If 

 we know nothing about these "pesky bugs" that come to upset us or 

 if we should like to refresh our memories, Professor Needham's little 

 book is an ideal starting point. 



Professor Needham has given us a book, written in simple, non- 

 technical language coupled with an easy style, that will help the lay- 

 man to understand and to appreciate the insects with which he comes 

 in contact. His introductory chapters, "Why Study Insects" and 

 "How to Study Insects," are followed by discussions of such com- 

 mon insects as butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers, leaf bugs, 

 beetles, scale insects, aphids, mosquitoes, and bees. The author next 

 considers such ecological groups as carniverous insects and insects 

 that eat our foods and textiles. The concluding chapters are con- 

 cerned with the control of insects and the collecting and rearing of 

 insects. 



The expositions of life histories, food habits, and habitats pre- 

 ferred by the insects during their developmental stages are inter- 

 spersed with considerations of the balance in nature, parasitic and 

 predatory insects, beneficial and noxious insects. The importance of 

 careful observation is stressed so that we shall know which insect to 

 swat and which insect to protect : our insect friends should not be 

 needlessly killed. 



The line drawing illustrations are well chosen and admirably 

 compliment the various parts of the text. In illustrations of this type. 



