Entomology. 843 
modesty, and, placing ourselves in the attitude of the first two 
classes of his probable readers, namely the beginners and the 
amateurs or dilettante entomologists, we find that we have little of 
which to complain. The first class of readers, however, whom he 
hopes to reach, the farmer, the fruit-grower, and the gardener, the 
book will hardly satisfy as a hand-book. No one, however, can 
sig a book on this subject for farmers unless he is a farmer him- 
self. 
While our first impression was that Dr. Packard had made a 
mistake in adopting in this elementary work the division of the 
class into sixfeen orders, our maturer opinion coincides with his 
own judgment. Brauer’s classification, or some slight modification 
of it, is bound to be generally adopted. The sooner this is brought 
about the better, and in no way could a ready adoption be more 
speedily achieved than by teaching the system to younger entomo- 
logists, and to beginners in the study. Dr. Packard’s substitution 
of Plectoptera and Mecaptera for Ephemeride and Panorpate is, of 
course, done in the interest of uniformity, but we regret his appa- 
rent slip in the. etymology of his word Mecaptera. This leads us 
naturally to criticise the glossary, in that for less than half of the 
words defined is the derivation given. The same incompleteness 
18 seen in the acknowledgments of illustrations. Credit for many 
18 given, but many others are unacknowledged, leaving the errone- 
ous Impression that all the latter are original with the book. _ 
e are somewhat disappointed with the chapter on collecting, 
esl and rearing. Although most of the published notes 
ve been brought together, the chapter is too much a clipped one, 
and many hy ea points unpublished are omitted. For ex- 
ample, Prof. Riley’s description of his breeding-cage, published no 
less than fifteen years ago, is reproduced with its accompanying 
figure, while no word is said of the later improvements which 
P rof. Riley and others are using, and with which the author was 
familiar. Similarly, in the matter of inflating larvæ, no mention 
18 made of the tin ovens generally used, or of the method recently 
described of inflating several larvee simultaneously. 
The short family characterizations given in small type will be 
Useful in many instances, but it seems to us a mistake, and a certain 
discouragement to the student, to insert such definitions as those 
given on page 126, under the Diptera, viz. :— 
Family Asteidee—Front bristle above. 
F amily Phytomyzidæ.—F'ront bristly. 
amily Agròmyzidæ.—F'ront with strong bristles. , 
It also seems to us that in a work of this character strict uni- 
formity in sub-family terminations should have been followed, 
Whether previously adopted by other authors or not. 
But we have found enough fault. We anticipate that the book 
