Cambridge Entomological Club, 1874
PSYCHE

A Journal of Entomology

founded in 1874 by the Cambridge Entomological Club
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Article beginning on page 131.
Psyche 6:131, 1891.

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Augusl 1891.1 PSYCHE.
EDWARD BURGESS.
The death of Mr. Edward Burgess of
Boston on .July 12 at the are of 43 removed one of the few persons in America who have made important contributions to insect
anatomy.
His work was not voluminous but it was
very careful and exact. As president of this Club he gave in 1880 an excellent review of the then recent literature in insect anatomy and physiology. His own most important
and extensive paper was on the anatomy of themilk weed butterfly, but he worked out in more or less detail the anatomy of the per- fect stage in Anabrus and Aletia and studied minutely the male abdominal appendages of butterflies, the structure of the head of Psocidae, the mouth parts of the larva of Dytiscus and the varied course of the aorta in Lepidoptera. He was also the first to show the precise structure and working of the apparatus for feeding in the imago of Lepidoptera.
A large part of his work was in aid of ihe researches of others, in which he was gener- ous almost to a fault, and his unselfish devo- lion to his duties for sixteen years as secre- tary of the Boston society of natural history, in whose publications most of his papers were issued, brought the office to a high state of efficiency - a devotion further sig- nalized in his will, in which he made the society his contingent residuary legatee. Besides, although he published but a single short paper on Diptera, his knowledge of this group, in which he rendered large ser- vice to others, was unsurpassed among our countrymen.
To entomology, which he had cultivated
with such signal success, Mr. Burgess, it is true, died several years ago when he parted from his collection and library and turned his attention exclusively to naval architecture in which be h;id been interested from boyhood and which offered far more promise of finan- cial returns, then first absolutely necessary for him to consider. His world-known suc- cess in his new field (for he fairly leaped into fame) it is not the place here to con- sider, but, clearly the greatest genius our country has ever produced in this branch of science, his naturalist friends without excep- tion will agree that in losing him from their immediate ranks Science at large has been the gainer; they were indeed eager to ap- plaud his success, his old scientific friends being, we believe, the very first to give him a tangible proof of their pride in his fellow- ship-a pride all the greater for the almost painful modebty with which he received
every mark of his glowing fame. Selfishness could not live in his sight. When the city of Boston gave him a public reception, his shrinking boyish figure as he rose to return his thanks, in which he tried to turn public attention rather to the one whose means, whose confidence and whose sympathy had
rendered the realization of his scientific genius practically possible, will not soon be forgotten by thohe who witnessed it But
the gentleness and sincerity of his charac- ter, the refinement of his life and manners, his truthfulness and loyalty, and all those other delicate traits which revealed his heart and rendered him so dear to his intimate friends will remain to them a hource of
perennial inspiration.
THE LONDON INSECTARY.
The following extract from a recent nuin- bcr of Nature shows that America is largely drawn upon for interesting insects in the display at the insect-house of the Zoological Society of London, and yet no special men- tion is made of our large and striking Bom- bycidae. It suggests that when the contem- plated natural history gardens in Boston are fairly established, we can easily rival any exhibitions of this nature now existing. 'å´Th insect-house in the Zoological
Society's Gardens is now in excellent order,



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and well deserves a visit. In addition to the silk-moths that are usually present during the warm weather, the Papilioninae, or
swallow-tail butterflies, afford at the present time the chief display. The perfect insects of several species of the genus Papilio have appeared-P. cres$hoates, ajax, and asterias from North America, P. alexanor from the Mediterranean shores, and the handsome P. maackii from Japan. The last named has
been seen for the first time in the house this year, and offers a striking contrast to the other species of the genus that have pre- viously been exhibited in the Gardens, it being of black and golden-green colours in- stead of the yellows and blacks that we are accustomed to in our European swallow-
tails. P. cres-phontes has appeared in large numbers in the house, but no varieties have been obtained. This also is the first season for two other beautiful Papilioninae, viz. Daritis a$oZZina from Asia Minor, and the Japanese Se~icina telamon. The latter
shows considerable difference in the mark- ings of the sexes. The North American
Limenitis di.<i/$us can be at present seen in all its stages, and is well worthy of atten- tion, the caterpillar moving along the leaf- stalks with a peculiar interrupted gait. Of the sphinx moths, the south European Deile- phtia alecto has already appeared, and D. nicae is expected. These insects are, how- ever, not seen to advantage in confinement, as their superb powers of flight cannot be displayed in a small compartment. Two
examples of the Orthoptera are alive in the house-Diapheromera femorata, one of the
stick- or twig-insects from North America, and E?n$usa cg'ena from southern Europe. The former has been reared from eggs laid in the insect-house, but these progeny are not so healthy as those obtained from fresh- ly-imported eggs. The Empusa is of a most bizarre form, and belongs to the family Man- tidae, the species of which feed only on liv- ing creatures. The public is indebted to Mr. S. H. Carver for the opportunity of seeing living scorpions; he has sent examples of two species of this group from Egypt, both of which unfortunately are unidentified, there being obvious difficulties in the way of carrying about live scorpions and comparing them with dried specimens. There is a
third scorpion, from south Europe, living with its Egyptian congeners; it has a small delicate tail, and is altogether a less frightful creature, though assuming a menacing atti- tude with equal readiness. A spider, Lycosa å´porfosamkna from Madeira, is healthy, and is a fine creature, though insignificant by the side of its neighbour, a huge Mygale from South America. Ilie latter, as well as the scorpions, is fed with mice, which are given to it dead, though in its native haunts a Mygale has been kn'i)wn to prey on living individuals of these small mammals."
The first number of the 18th volume of tlie Transactions of the American entomological society contains convenient analytical tables to the genera of Coccidae by Ashmead, as well as a catalogue of the described South Ameri- can Asilidae by Williston ; one is rather sur- prised to see Dasypogon figuring in three different places. A monograph of the spe- cies of Cryptohypnus found in boreal Amer- ica by Horn will be welcomed by the coleop- terist; . it includes thirty species and they are divided into nine groups containing from one to seven species each. Other papers are less important. If the society would print a table of contents to each number on the va- cant fourth page of the cover it would be very welcome, especially as the head-lines of the pages are not very distinctive.
The issue of Insect life for June is a
double one and therefore makes even a
better showing than usual. This journal has now certainly justified its publication, though grave doubts li:ive been expressed as to the province of the government in the issue of a periodical, and it may still be questioned



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Volume 6 table of contents