NEW BIOLOGICAL BOOKS 



583 



As to all the forms the examination of 

 which could not be made, especially those 

 of America, the material part of the infor- 

 mation has been carried forward as an 

 appendix. 



The second chapter is devoted to 

 nymphs. The material has been collected 

 almost wholly by the author himself in 

 various parts of France and reared. A few 

 larvae, none of them yet described, belong- 

 ing to the collections of the Museum in 

 Paris, come from French colonies, chiefly 

 Madagascar. In the course of the 

 Systematic study, the first states of four 

 genera: Hydrovatus Notsch, Copelatus Er., 

 Meladema Cast, Rhantaticus Sharp, are 

 described for the first time; thirty-three 

 larvae and thirty-nine nymphae also have 

 not been described before. 



The third chapter gives a short account 

 of the biology of the different families. 

 The most original part relates to the 

 habits of palaearctic forms and is based on 

 the observations made while collecting or 

 in the course of numerous breedings . 



The fourth and last chapter collects the 

 general results of the work; the relations 

 between the systematic study of the first 

 stages and that of the imagoes. Some 

 curious examples of convergence are noted. 

 Various suggestions are set forth concern- 

 ing phylogenesis and adaptation, and also 

 the meaning of the successive larval stages . 



The illustrations are original and in- 

 clude about zoo drawings in the text, con- 

 cerned with the general morphology and 

 the features of the larvae and nymphae. 

 There is also a series of thirty-three 

 plates, comprising more than 300 draw- 

 ings. 



An excellent piece of systematic work. 



For many years old Brehm has been the 

 guide, philosopher and friend of the 

 bright young biologist wholly immersed 

 in physics, chemistry and mathematics, 

 when he suspected that he might be called 

 upon to display some knowledge about 

 animals . Of course such a demand would 

 never be made upon him in any modern 

 up-to-date biological laboratory. But out 

 in the cold world among roughnecks who 

 did not understand that life is hydrogen 

 ion concentration, electric potential, and 

 differential equations, et praeterea nihil, a 

 good deal of embarrassment has unques- 

 tionably been avoided by the judicious use 

 of Brehm 's Tierleben. Now the way is 

 made still easier, for the juice has been 

 pressed out of the big edition and put in 

 one small-quarto bottle. The condensa- 

 tion has done no harm. It is still a good 

 book. 



THE BIOLOGY OF INSECTS. 

 By George H. Carpenter. The Macmillan Co. 

 $6.50 5! x 8^; xv + 473 New York 



An interesting and instructive account of 

 the biology of insects. The author states 

 that he has described structural features 

 only so far as seems necessary for the 

 understanding of function and behavior; 

 which indicates the bias of the book. We 

 must say, however, that we suspect that 

 the student will get a clearer idea of insect 

 structure from this book than he might 

 from many others. The book may be 

 recommended to anyone who wishes a 

 clear, simple, and authoritative account of 

 how insects live. There is a sixteen page 

 bibliography and a good index. 



BREHMS TIERLEBEN in Einem Band. 

 Revised by Georg Grimpe. 



Bibliographisches Institut 

 Z5 marks 7 x 10; xxxvi +836 Leipzig 



THE ORIGIN OF BIRDS. 

 By Gerhard Heilmann. D. Apple ton and Co. 

 $7.50 6 x 9J; vii + no New York 



The author divides his book into 



