Vol. XXV'iii] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 57 



large part of the work on fossils and molluscs is done by offi- 

 cials of the U. S. Geological Survey ; in the universities and 

 schools researches are carried on by those who are primarily 

 paid to teach. It is a wise policy to interpret the laws govern- 

 ing economic activities liberally, so as to include, or at least 

 permit, work which, though not directly economic, forms the 

 basis of the designated undertakings. 



Having visited the National Museum at intervals, dating 

 back to the time when entomology occupied cramped quarters 

 in the building, I have witnessed with pleasure and admiration 

 the great developments which have taken place. These devel- 

 opments, however, have tended to increasingly tax the re- 

 sources of the institution, and to-day it is impossible to keep 

 all the collections in good order and up to date. Many of the 

 men are so keenly interested that they work overtime, far into 

 the night or on holidays ; but in the nature of the case it is im- 

 possible for them to keep pace with the accessions and the 

 developments of the science in all its ramifications. Being 

 nearly all employed ostensibly as economic workers, working 

 for the Department of Agriculture, injurious insects and cor- 

 respondence relative to them naturally take precedence, and 

 more purely scientific activities tend to be crowded to the wall. 



Fully recognizing the necessity and wisdom of the form of 

 development which has brought the entomological division of 

 the Museum up to its present high standard, I venture to sug- 

 gest that we must in the future, perhaps in the near future, 

 pass to another stage of departmental evolution. Ideally, the 

 Museum has functions resembling those of a library in many 

 respects. It is the business of the curators, first of all, to ar- 

 range and classify the collections, and make them available to 

 those who can use them to advantage. The Department of 

 Agriculture has long ago developed its library facilities, instead 

 of depending on the various workers to do library work. Even 

 the Bureaus have their libraries. It would be entirely to the 

 advantage of the Bureau of Entomology to have the care of 

 the entomological collections taken off its hands, and assumed 

 by the Museum. It would be advantageous to the Museum, 



