Article beginning on page 134.
Psyche 6:134, 1891.

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134 PSYCHE. [~ugust 1891.
aid than plodding through each of the de- scriptions in turn to see which fits best; or fifty-three species of Argynnis in a similar plight except that here the rough but fairly good figures of the under side of a hind wing materially aid the comparison; or again
eighty-six species of Pamphila where even figures of a single wing are wanting in more than two thirds of the species! For shch characteristics as these, no possible excel- lence in the descriptions or the sequence, or even in the illustrations could possibly atone. It is planned upon wrong lines-a
dreary guide to a delightful study. Better a single life-history well worked out, to beget a wish to learn more, than the whole of it. Butterflies are not lifeless postage-stamps, and should not be treated as such.
A very lively and interesting account is given in the last number of the Journal of the Cincinnati society of natural history of the wanderings and collections of a "Cin- cinnati boy in the tropics," William Do- herty, who entirely without funds has wan- dered all through the east, making fine col- lections in natural history, especially in- sects, and paying his way by their sales. Through perils and adventures innumerable he seems so far to have escaped with his life ; "my beggar-like and dilapidated garb was my safeguard against robbers," he says, 'and my running after butterflies was calcu- lafed to impress them that I was a harmless lunatic and so I got through where a more pretentious personage might have failed." Reference was made in our June number,
p. 100, to the reported death of Kiinckel, and discredit given to the story that he had been overcome by locusts in Algiers. It now
appears that the entire story must have been a fabrication, for records have reached us of two or three meetings of the French entomo- logical society (of which he was once presi- dent) subsequent to the date of his reported death, and no sort of reference to such an event appears, though at least one necrolo- gical notice is given ; moreover Kiinckel has since that date been appointed upon a com- mittee of the society, and presented papers both to it and to the French Academy! We observe that Entomological news publishes the telegram from Algiers as if it had no doubt of its truth.
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES.
CAMBRIDGE ENTOMOLOGICAL CLUB.
14 February, 1890.-The ~ 1 s t meeting of the Club was held at 156 Brattle St., Mr. S. H. Scudder in the chair.
The annual report of the librarian, post- poned from the January meeting, was read and accepted. The auditors announced that the report of the treasurer was correct, and it was accepted.
Dr. H. A. Hagen asked the opinion of
those present concerning books on entoniol- ogy for the use of beginners and amateurs. Our common insects, Half-hours with in-
sects, and Entomology for beginners, by Dr. Packard, and Comstock's Introduction were mentioned as the most available.
Mr. S. H. Scudder read from a letter of
Mr. James Fletcher an account of damage
done to the pine staves of the water pipes of the Ottawa (Can.) water system. The pipes have been in use fifteen years. The destruc- tion is supposed to be due first to the decay- ing of a very thin layer of the surface of the wood through the chemical action of river water, and then to the removal of the de- cayed surface by aquatic beetles. Beetles be- longing to Dryops and Macronychus were
found in the injured wood; also larvae pro- visionally referred to the same genera.
Mr. Scudder read an account of the habits of spiders, by Jonathan Edwards, written in the last century, and recently published in the Andover Review.
Mr. Scudder also read a letter from Mr.
E. A. Smyth, Jr., giving his observations on the habits and relative abundance of several coliads found in North and South Carolina. - - (See Psyche, v. 5, p. 334.)




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