SYSTEMATIC ENTOMOLOGY 



By EDWAED S. ROSS 

 California Academy of Sciences 



AND 

 COLLABORATORS 



INTRODUCTION 



By EDWARD S. ROSS 

 California Academy of Sciences 



Like a group of artists painting a large mural, workers in science should 

 periodically pause in their labors and survey what has already been accomplished. 

 Such a general inspection would benefit the whole project, enabling each parti- 

 cipant to return to his individual section with a better idea of how he may 

 contribute to the completion of the "big picture." The "canvas" of entomology 

 is the most extensive of all the natural sciences. Although the picture is sketchy 

 in places and far from complete, so much work has been done, especially in the 

 last half of the century under consideration, that it is difficult for one person 

 to see it all. The study of an order, or even of a family, of insects may be more 

 extensive, and perhaps more important, than some entire branches of science to 

 which greater space is devoted in this volume. 



In order to provide material of real use as reference I have asked various 

 specialists to evaluate the accomplishments of the past century in the particu- 

 lar sections of entomology with which they deal. An attempt has been made to 

 treat all the orders in these reports and, although there are gaps, the coverage 

 is sufficiently complete to allow some generalizations concerning progress and 

 trends. I am deeply greateful to each contributor for his cooperation. 



Although it is not the purpose of these papers to introduce new systematic 

 concepts, an exception is made for Dr. Remington's review of the Apterygota. 

 The modification of insect classification which he includes in his historical review 

 of apterygotan studies is sufficiently interesting to warrant the use of addi- 

 tional space. 



As my own contribution I would like to offer some general observations on 

 the present state of insect systematics from the point of view of a curator of 

 a large insect collection. An evaluation of the past efforts in systematic ento- 

 mology as a means of understanding the needs of the future seems preferable 

 to a chronological review of events in this Century of Progress. 



The evidence of progress in any period of systematics is published names, 



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