On Zea mays L.
Columbus, Ohio. September 30, 1901.
Coll. O. E. Jennings.
For full account of the synonomy with citations and notes, see J. C. Arthur, Botanical Gazette, 23:46, from which the following is taken:
To the translation by Johann Beckmann of Tillet’s account of the species contained in the Royal Academy of Paris, 1776, where it is stated that, “Son dernier effet consiste à convertir cette excroissance en une poussière noirâtre et assez semblable à celle qui sort du lycoperdon ou vesse de loupe.”—a foot note is added by the translator proposing the binomial designation, as follows:
“Meiner Meynung nach, ist das hier beschriebene Gewaechs allerdings ein Staubschwamm (Lycoperdon) und zwar eine Species parasitica, deren in Lin. Syst. Nat. schon drey befindlich sind, unter welchen also dieser Art, etwa unter dem Namen Lycoper. zeae ein Platz anzuweisen waere.” J. B., Hannoverisches Magazin, 6:1330.
HELPS IN ENTOMOLOGICAL STUDY.
Persons who are anxious to learn something of the habits of insects are often at a loss to select reliable books. Some recent additions to the list formerly available will make this task less difficult. The “Insect Book,” by Dr. L. O. Howard, published by Doubleday, Page & Company, covers the groups of insects, exclusive of the butterflies, moths and beetles. It gives figures of a large number of species, some of them in natural colors, and while some of the figures fail to give all the detail necessary for the exact identification of species, most of them are very satisfactory. The keys, descriptions, typical life histories and directions for making collections, are written especially for the class of students who do not have access to specific collections, libraries or instruction.
Another book of great interest at the present time (also by Dr. Howard) is entitled “Mosquitoes, How they Carry Disease, How they Live, How they are Classified, How they May be Destroyed.” This deals in a remarkably clear and attractive manner with the habits of mosquitoes, their breeding grounds, the different species and their distribution, their relation to malaria and yellow fever, and the measures by which their numbers may be reduced. It furnishes incidentally a most excellent guide to the methods of life history study for aquatic insects. It is published by McClure, Phillips & Co.—H. O.