90 



The second Edition of Miss Ormerod's Manual of injurious Insects.*— This 

 greatly enlarged and revised edition of Miss Ormerod's valuable hand- 

 book has just reached us, and, on account of its convenient size, ad- 

 mirable arrangement, plain language, and abundant illustrations, it 

 is almost a model of what such a work should be. It does not contain 

 much matter which is new, but since Miss Ormerod has drawn very largely 

 from her own well-known reports her name should certainly appear on 

 the title-page as author^ and not under the modest title of compiler. Our 

 space prevents an extended review of this admirable volume, although 

 we find much in it of interest to the American entomologist and agri- 

 culturist, since so many of the insects treated are common to both Eng- 

 land and America, while there is hardly a species mentioned which is 

 not liable at almost any time to make its appearance in America, judg- 

 ing from the frequent accidental importations of late years. The work 

 comprises. Part I, Food Crops and the Insects Injurious to Them; 

 Part II, Forest Trees and Insects that Injure Them; Part III, Fruit 

 Crops and Insects that Injure Them; an alphabetical list of insects 

 treated; an introduction to entomology, couched in very popular lan- 

 guage and giving an idea of the classification ; and a glossary of ento- 

 mological terms followed by a full index. The work covers 410 pages 

 and has an illustration for almost every second page. Miss Ormerod's 

 work can not be too highly commended. 



The cheapest Form of Light.t — Under this taking title Professor Lang- 

 ley and his assistant, Mr. Very, have published the results of their recent 

 researches upon the so-called phosphorescent light of certain insects, 

 in the same form in which they were presented at the last meeting of 

 the National Academy of Sciences. The insect principally used in the 

 experiments was the large Cuban Fire-fly {Pyrophorus noctilucus). We 

 assisted Professor Langley in the spring and summer of 1889 in import- 

 ing a number of these insects from Cuba with the help of Professor 

 Poey of Havana, and Senor Bonzon of Santiago de Cuba, and, after 

 many failures, succeeded in getting a large number of healthy living 

 specimens, upon which photometric and thermal observations were j 

 made at the Allegheny Observatory. The total radiant heat from the 

 light of one of these insects (heat representing waste) was compared 

 with that transmitted by glass from the nearly non-luminous Bunsen 

 flame, the luminosity from which was very much fainter than that from 

 the insect. The most accurate observations prove that the insect light 



* A Manual of Injurious Insects with Methods of Prevention and Remedy for their 

 attacks to Food Crops, Forest Trees, and Fruit. To which is appended a short In- 

 troduction to Entomology. Compiled by Eleanor A. Ormerod, F. R. Met. Soc, etc.;, 

 London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., 1890. 



t On the Cheapest Form of Light, from studies at the Allegheny Observatory by S. 

 P. Langley and F. W. Very. Authors' extras from the American Journal of Science, 

 Vol. XL, August, 1890. 



