ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 



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PHILADELPHIA, PA., APRIL, 1909. 



At its meeting in Baltimore last December the Entomological 

 Society of America passed the following resolution : "That 

 it is the sense of this Society that the duty on insects is objec- 

 tionable and should be abolished." In accordance with this 

 resolution a suitable memorial was prepared by Mr. W. C. 

 Wood of New York and sent to the "Ways and Means" 

 Committee of Congress. A duty on insects is an annoy- 

 ance to entomologists and serves no useful purpose. 

 There is no element of protection to American industries 

 in it as few imported insects are also native of this country. 

 As a source of revenue to the Government the amount col- 

 lected is so trifling as to make the collection of a tariff not 

 worth the trouble. 



Moreover it is often impossible to properly assess values 

 on such objects. The study of entomology should be encour- 

 aged in every way possible and even the collector is an import- 

 ant factor in the work as his collection will be consulted by the 

 investigator and it is not unlikely sooner or later to find its 

 way into some scientific institution. 



The dealers do not desire a duty on insects ; the entomo- 

 logist does not, and it is too small a matter for the Govern- 

 ment to bother about. 



THE centipede is a small creature, in spite of the fact that he is 

 more than a six-footer. 



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