1092 The American Naturalist. [November, 
excellent, The main portion of the book is divided into three parts,, 
treating of the insects affecting food crops, forest trees, and fruit crops, 
respectively. To this is appended a list of the insects discussed, an 
introduction to entomology, and a glossary of entomological terms. 
Much has been added, in the author's usual careful and thorough- 
going style, to the accounts of the first edition, published in 1881. 
The work will doubtless prove of great value to British agriculturists, 
and Miss Ormerod is to be congratulated upon its appearance.—C. M. W. 
Beetle Parasites.— The braconid parasite of Zixus concavus, 
mentioned on page 972 of last month's NATURALIST, has been identi- 
fied by Dr. C. V. Riley as Bracon rugator Say. I am also indebted 
to the same authority for determining the parasite of Zyloderma foveo- 
latum, mentioned in the same connection, as Bracon xanthostigma: 
Cresson,—C. M. W 
ARCHZEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY. 
Rigveda Studies.—Sanscrit students who have had an insight 
into Vedic studies know perfectly well that we are only at the begin- 
ning as far as a real comprehension of the Rigveda is concerned. In 
recent years many ripe scholars have striven to render this work 
more accessible. The joint work of two Halle professors, R. Pischel 
and K. F. Geldner, entitled ** Vedische Studien," marks a great 
advance in this direction,! and intends to refute many erroneous ideas. 
still adhéred to concerning that oldest Aryan monument. The treat- 
ment of the mythologic element was undertaken by Pischel, whereas 
linguistics and text-criticism fell to the share of his collaborator. 
Both are of the opinion that it is entirely wrong to consider the 
period when the Vedas, especially the Rigveda, took their origin as a. 
pastoral or nomadic one, undefiled by the civilization or corruption 
which are characteristic of later historical epochs. The people were 
then as eager to acquire worldly goods as they ever were in the time 
of the classical epics called Maha-Bhärata and Ramayana. They 
prized artistic ornaments and fine dwellings, knew the art of writing, 
and were acquainted with the use of salt, The mention of village 
communities and of walled towns or cities proves that the nomadic 
1 Vedische Studien von Richard Pischel und Karl F. Geldner. I. Bd., Stuttgart, Kobl- 
hammer, 1889, 8vo, 33 and 328 pages. 
