3818 Notices of New Boohs. 



c Shells and their Inhabitants. The Genera of Recent Mollusca 

 arranged according to their Organization.'' By Henry and 

 Arthur Adams. Part I. London : Van Voorst. 1853. 



Another work on the same subject as the last, but having a wider 

 range. We like the manner in which the work is commenced, it gives 

 promise of great excellence : the general observations exhibit a cer- 

 tain amount of original observation, a feature which we think of no 

 mean importance in works on Natural History. 



' Transactions of the Entomological Society of London.'* Vol. II. 

 New Series. Part 3. 



We fancy we can perceive symptoms of an improvement in these 

 ' Transactions,' which have too long been almost exclusively devoted 

 to mere technical descriptions. We have repeatedly endeavoured to 

 draw the attention of the entomologists of this country to the fact that 

 observations on the habits of insects are far more to be desired than 

 the most accurate descriptions or the most elaborate criticisms on 

 synonymy ; these latter being mainly useful in so far only as they 

 enable us to identify the species of which the habits have been ob- 

 served and recorded. 



The part of the * Transactions ' now before us contains two papers 

 having special reference to the habits of insects. A paper on the 

 Paussidae, by Mr. Westwood, contains an extremely interesting com- 

 munication from Mr. Bowring, of Hong Kong. Mr. F. Smith has a 

 paper " On the Development of Osmia parietina, and other British 

 Insects," from which maybe obtained several useful hints: the author 

 appears to have discovered the cause of those little cartridge-like rolls 

 on the leaves of young oak trees, which have frequently attracted our 

 attention in an autumnal ramble. Mr. Douglas has also an interest- 

 ing paper of " Contributions to the Natural History of British Micro- 

 Lepidoptera." When the variety of habits of these insects is consi- 

 dered, and the excellent notices of the natural history of a few of 

 them that appear in the ever delightful Memoirs of Reaumur and De 

 Geer, we are surprised that so few students have turned their atten- 

 tion to the wide field of investigation before them. 



Mr. Douglas very wisely reminds our collectors that rare species 

 may be more easily obtained by finding the larvae than by beating for 



