ILLINOIS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 275 



Recording Skcretahiks.— Clias. Andrews and H. I). Emery. 



TRKA8UHKU.— E. H. SkinniT. 



Members of Executive Committee.— J. W. Coohran, S. Edwards, and Jas. G. Soulard . 



PCBLisiliNG Committee.— Messrs. Edwards, McWliortcr, and Scott. 



Dr. H. Shimei- read an essay on Entomology, illustrating it by drawings of several 

 insects that are both injurious and beneficial. 



kxtomolo<;r-al notes, by henuy siiimeb, a.m.,m.u., mt. carroll, ill. 



Insects the type of Articulatu', are the primitive form of a walking, flyiuK, intelligent locomotive 

 machine. Wonderful invention— a machine moved by the chemical forces, possessed of a directing 

 principle that we may only classify as mind. Tliat lirst form of an articulate skeleton moved by 

 muscles; an outside skeleton, the muscle within — an experiment in tlic progress of creation 

 sulilimcly beautiful. 



Articulala' are indeeil (luite primitive among created life forms on the surface of the earth, 

 having a venerable representative in the Trildite of the ancient Silurian seas, and the true insect, 

 as old at least as the Devonian. Created thus early without <loubt in the plans of Supreme Wisdom, 

 In part for tlie twofold purpose— Self-enjoyment and fertilization of Plants. 



In the progress of Creation on tlie surface of our planet (for we know notlting of life forms on this 

 or other worlds during the eternity that has rolled away, except what history, geological and 

 recent, aft'ord us), conditions became developed tliat admitted of the existence of the Insect tbrm 

 of animal life, and they were brought into Ijeing. 'J he lirst object of their creation- self-life, self- 

 enjoyment— has long been realized. Probably for millions of years— years only numbered as the 

 sands on the sea-shores, have insects lived without interfering with the rights of man, reveling in 

 the sunshine of the long ages thus passing away, feasting on tlie tirst fruits ami fat of the land, 

 welcome lords of creation, condemned and despised by none. 



But to-day they occupy an unenviable position, despised and rejected bv all, because they inter- 

 fere witli our comfort and riglits, and o\n-s are supreme and must extinguisli tlieirs; not supreme 

 from the riglit of possession, l)nt supreme from a higher position in the scale of being. 



Man usurps the supremacy over the entire animal creation, hence the lion, once king of tlie forest, 

 can no longer rest at eahC in his den or dwell within tlie range of civilization. The wild beasts that 

 once roamed over our prairies and dwelt in our forests, aud the wild Indian with them, have rolled 

 back before the advancing wave of civilization, and the darkness of eternal death is ilestined to rest 

 down upon them. 



All this has been accomplished with ease and even pleasure to the hardy froutiermau. The lion 

 has been defeated, the wild beast has been driven back, the Indian has been conquered, by virtue of 

 that higher power. si'l'ERKji: INTELLIGENCE. But the insect scourge is ever in our midst: far 

 more destructive, far mure uncoiKiuerable than the king of the forest or the red man of our Western 

 wilds. 



Why Is the insect thus iincoiKiueralileV It belongs to a <lift'ereiit race of beings, a clitlerent depart- 

 ment, 1 had almost said, of creation, ^^'hile the ritle is very etl'ectual against the lion or other wild 

 beast, it is useless against our tar more formidable enemy ; although as an iudividiial far less sijiiiiti- 

 cant, the "■chinch bug."' Neither is it of any avail against the plant curculio, the potato bug or the 

 codling moth. But although the ritle fails us shall wi' yet despair ot seeing our wisli accoiuiilished 

 and our right of supremacy maintained. Shall that power of superior intelligence fail us here and 

 our last foe become our coiniuerory 



How have we been aide to annihilate the wild beasts of prey over large districts of country 'i By 

 becoming acfpiainted with their habits, and exercising our will against them. The trapper that 

 would secure the beaver or otter must lirst become familiar with its mode of life. J'he panther or 

 wild cat can not be taken by han<l, but the hunter has learned how to subdue it. If we ever expect 

 to accomplish anything against the insect enemies, we must "go aud do likewise." Study thor- 

 oughly their habits, learn their assailable points. 



When I last appeared before this honorable body at Freejiort, we were considering "nature's 

 method of controlling noxious insects." At this time it is entirely proper that we review a portion 

 of this subject, and see how faithfully Nature has discharged tliis duty, and what we have done or 

 may do to aid her in this great and important work. A brief history of some iioints in the economy 

 of a few of our more common noxious insects and of their jiriuclpal enemies, will therefore be 

 more valuable to you in this direction than volumes of theorizing. 



The great Western grain enemy, the "chinch bug," as I then demonstrated, had just been 

 swept away Irom our midst. 1 inforined yon of the principal causes that operated so unex])ectedly 

 and so etfectnally against them, giving you the day and date of my observations, all of which you 

 have kindly recorded for the benefit and informatiou of mankind in the first volume of your transac- 



