OF WASHINGTON. 191 
temperate zone of the Old World to any other part of the temperate 
zone of the New World, the difficulties only arising and increas- 
ing if a change of climate is involved in this introduction. I re- 
member here the introduction of the humble-bee from England to 
New Zealand, which was successful after repeated failures. Al- 
most the same may be said of the unintentional mode of importa- 
tion. With the almost endless list of objects of modern commerce 
and international intercourse, numerous species of insects of all 
Orders, and more especially Coleoptera, are imported by every 
steamer arriving at New York or at any other great port of this 
country from any part of the world, and can, in the warmer season, 
be found alive about the wharves. I remind you here of a com- 
munication by our fellow-member, Mr. Lugger, before this So- 
ciety, on the large number of species of exotic Coleoptera found 
in Baltimore near the landing places of steamers. Now if only 
the tenth part, or even a much smaller proportion, of such im- 
ported species should become introduced species, it is safe to say 
that within a couple of years the fauna of the vicinity of Boston, 
New York, Baltimore, and San Francisco would be so 
changed as to be utterly strange to us North American Coleopte- 
rists. Enough has been said to point out that there is an essential 
difference between importation and introduction, which is ex- 
pressed by the single word "acclimatization." This at once 
changes the aspect of things. In spite of the constant importation 
of hundreds of species the faunas of New York, San Francisco, 
etc., have not been perceptibly altered in the course of nearly 400 
years. The recorded number of introduced Coleoptera during 
the past three years amounts to only four or five, and I am by no 
means satisfied that all these cases are really introductions. Some 
may be imported species, and they were captured and recorded 
before anything could be known regarding their ability to become 
thoroughly acclimatized in jthis country. The terms successful 
importation and successful introduction are even now sometimes 
considered tantamount, and a successful introduction announced 
when it could be only an importation. It is, of course, important 
for various reasons to record any importations ; but we must watch 
and wait several seasons before we can judge about introduction. 
We stand here before some great unknown factor viz., the in- 
dividual nature and inmost character of the species, which gov- 
