iv ELEMENTARY ENTOMOLOGY 



not be neglected, but general entomology is the foundation upon 

 which it must be erected, and without a knowledge of the elements 

 of entomology a course in economic entomology will have but 

 little meaning to the average student, whereas if the more general 

 knowledge of the subject has been mastered, the study of the 

 various insect pests may be profitably pursued by the individual, 

 even if he has not been able to take a systematic course in that 

 phase of the subject. 



Students should be encouraged to make free use of the standard 

 textbooks for reference and to aid in the identification of speci- 

 mens. Much interest may be added to the course by securing the 

 available entomological publications of the state agricultural experi- 

 ment stations (a list of which stations may be found in the 

 Appendix) and those of the Bureau of Entomology, United States 

 Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., many of which may 

 be had free of charge. 



The work outlined in the study of life histories, in collecting, 

 and in the identification of insects is necessarily largely suggestive. 

 The amount and nature of such work must depend upon the time 

 available, the equipment, the time of year, and the local surround- 

 ings of the school, and must be determined by every teacher to 

 suit his own conditions. It should be emphasized, however, that 

 a maximum of laboratory and field work and a minimum of book 

 work will probably give the average student a better knowledge of 

 insect life than the opposite arrangement, as the subject is one in 

 which the student must secure his knowledge directly from the 

 material, if it is to have much real meaning to him. 



The senior author is entirely responsible for the preparation of 

 Parts I and II, and the junior author for Part III, although they 

 have consulted together on all parts of the work. 



Many of the half-tone illustrations are from photographs by 

 the senior author or from those of Dr. C. M. Weed, his prede- 

 cessor at the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, 

 while several new line drawings have been prepared for the work 

 by Alma Drayer Jackson and Iris L. Wood, for whose generous 

 aid the authors are greatly indebted. The remaining illustrations 



