52 



flowers) look much like butterflies. One petal enlarges to make a 

 banner to tell the bees that pollen is ready. Two more,, called wings, 

 make a roof landing field for the bees. The last two join to make a 

 cradle for the ovary, which is wrapped in a gossamer sheet made 

 from the united stems of the stamens." Of the mints we read "The 

 family is friendly and helpful, seems to love the society of mankind, 

 for around every dooryard may be found plants of jMotherwort 

 and Catxip, which furnish tonic for man and beast." Of the com- 

 posites, "Cooperative Flowers," "Each disk flower is given the 

 materials to produce a seed, and it all works out as efficiently as the 

 production line in an automobile factory." Of the composites ten 

 pages of plates include such cultivated forms as dahlia, cosmos, 

 chrysanthemum, marigold and zinnia and such wild forms as asters, 

 bidens, dandelion, goldenrod and thistles. 



The book will be of little value to the professional botanist, but 

 the beginning student and gardener will find that a knowledge of the 

 characters of the plant families given in this informal way will aid 

 in placing the majority of plants in their proper places while all 

 plant lovers will find the book helpful and attractive. 



George T. Hastings 



Butterflies of the North-eastern States 



Butterflies. A Handbook of the Butterflies of the United States. Com- 

 plete for the Region North of the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and East of 

 the Dakotas. By Ralph W. Macy and Harold H. Shepard. viii + 248 pages. 

 The University of Minnesota Press. 1941. $3.50. 



This attractive book is written for beginners in the study of 

 butterflies as well as for experienced students and collectors. Cov- 

 ering all of the north-eastern United States and adjacent Canada 

 completely it will be useful beyond this area as many, if not most, 

 of the species described extend beyond any artificial boundary. One 

 hundred sixty-two species and twenty-seven races are described, 

 about one-fourth of all the species in North America north of 

 Alexico. The descriptions include not only the adults but also the 

 life histories as fully as known, the food plants of the caterpillars, 

 the ranges throughout the United States and the world — for some, 

 and as the ^lourning Cloak and Red Admiral range over most 

 of the northern hemisphere. There are often in addition personal 



