4 THE ENTOMOLOGICAL CODE. 



given, little trouble ought result in their use. While an earnest 

 effort has been made to cover all the questions that commonly arise, 

 completeness in this matter is practically an impossibility. 



It seems scarcely necessary to discuss the necessity of an entomo- 

 logical code. Most existing, codes fail to cover in a definite manner 

 many points that continually arise in entomological work, or the lan- 

 guage used is of such a broad or indefinite scope as to require official 

 interpretation to make the meaning evident. Scarcely an entomolo- 

 gist has been connected with the preparation of the larger codes and 

 the codes prepared by entomologists have been of restricted scope, or 

 made with certain questions in view. 



Each entomologist of much experience has acquired certain 

 methods of dealing with points arising in his work, usually depend- 

 ent upon personal judgment. One cannot expect that many active 

 workers will sacrifice their personal judgment in favor of a consensus 

 of opinion. But the new worker, without established ideas, is apt to 

 use such tools as will do his work, and if he finds at hand a code that 

 will answer the greater number of the questions that arise he will 

 very likely use it, especially if it is clear and comprehensive and not 

 subject to official interpretation and decision. That the present code 

 of rules will be found helpful to many workers in the field of Ento- 

 mology is the earnest hope of the compilers, 



Nathan Banks, 



A. N. Caudell. 



