134 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
and on the other, when he treats his subject in a “‘popular 
way,’’ to every man and woman who knows what good litera- 
ture really is. Even a child may understand Fabre, yet he is 
never puerile. Charles Darwin described him as an ‘‘inimit- 
able observer,’ and although many years have passed since 
Darwin wrote thus, and this grand old man in entomology 
is now a nonagenarian, his intellect and natural ability are 
as keen as ever. In illustration of this, Fisher Unwin are 
offering a new work by Fabre, ‘‘Sociali Life in the Insect 
World”’ (translated by Bernard Miall), and this book should 
soon be on the Australian market. Doubtless, our members 
and the reading public generally will look forward to its 
advent here. 
Dr. McCoox.—In November last, that well-known 
American nauralist, the Rev. Dr. Henry McCook, D.D., 
passed away at Philadelphia, U.S.A., at the age of 73. The 
deceased naturalist wag a ripe scholar, and one of the best- 
known popular writers on biological subjects in the United 
States. In fact he was to America as a populariser of natural 
science, what the late Rev. J. G. Wood was to Britain. His 
writings, both in book and magazine form, are numerous, and 
they did much to stimulate the study of insect and plant life 
in the great American republic. One of his best-known popu- 
lar works is ‘‘Tenants of on Old Farm,’’ and excellent reading 
it is to the boy or girl who are not so stupid as to need to be 
‘‘written down’? to. Indeed, the boy or girl who requires 
that is hardly worth while bothering about. On the serious 
side of scientific literature Dr. McCook was an _ excellent 
worker, and was most justly held in high repute by systema- 
tists in all the great biological centres of the world. The 
magus opus of his life’s work in this respect is “American 
Spiders and their Spinning Work,’’ an extensive monograph 
consisting of three large quarto volumes, two of which are 
letterpress (with many text figures), and one of coloured plates, 
produced with exacting fidelity to nature. 
TERATOLOGICAL SPECIMENS.—At a meetng of the Ento- 
mological Society of London recently, Mr. G. T. Bethune- 
Baker exhibited a specimen of Mrebia ceto which had been 
swept from the herbage without its head, which was pro- 
bably held fast by a spider. Nine hours after capture this 
insect had still been capable of! fluttering strongly. He also 
exhibited a specimen of Hrebia var. adyte, with a half-de- 
veloped right hind wing; a specimen of H. eriphyle with no 
left hindwing, and a J/elitaca caria with no right hind wing ; 
