174 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



upon which we are congratulating ourselves. Nor can I omit 

 reference to our European friends — to Loew, Osten Sacken, de 

 Saussure, Speyer, Zeller, Mceschler, Butler and others, who are freely 

 lending us their valued aid in the descriptions of forms too numerous for 

 our few hands, and in the solution of problems which require for their 

 determination the study of the entire insect fauna of the eastern hemi- 

 sphere in connection with our own. 



The most gratifying feature, perhaps, in the report of progress which I 

 am able to present to you, is the aid which the General Government is 

 now extending to Entomological explorations and investigations, in placing 

 scientists in the field and in the publication of their results. Two years 

 ago, the occupant of this chair felt called upon to express to you his 

 sorrow, disappointment, indignation, that Congress had declined to accede 

 to the memorials presented it, asking its recognition and acceptance of the 

 service which applied Entomology was in a condition to render. Now, it 

 is a cause of congratulation that the Department of Agriculture has 

 selected as its Entomologist one whose training in the school of economic 

 Entomology for the past ten years has specially qualified him for the 

 responsible position he occupies ; and we have the additional gratifying 

 assurance that the Secretary of the Department is in full sympathy with 

 our aims. 



In conformity with a precedent long since established in Europe, our 

 Government has honored itself while honoring science, in seeking to add 

 to the productive wealth of the country through a control of the insect depre- 

 dations inflicted upon our people, to the extent of enormous annual 

 losses, and, at times, poverty and starvation. The two special Com- 

 missions which have been already appointed, it is understood are, ere 

 long, to be followed by others. The published results of one year's labor 

 of the Locust Commission is in our hands. An inspection of the matter 

 crowding its 772 pages will, I am sure, convince any one competent to 

 judge, of the wisdom of the appropriation made for its support. The 

 Cotton-worm Commission has already actively entered upon its work. 



To Government aid we owe the publication of Packard's Monograph 

 of the Phalaanidae— a beautiful quarto of attractive typography and ample 

 and excellent illustration ; Thomas' Acrididse of North America, with 

 260 quarto pages and illustrations : the Reports on Hymenoptera, Lepi- 

 doptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera and Orthoptera in L'ieut. Wheeler's 

 Surveys West of the 100th Meridian, of 331 quarto pages and several 



