490 A CENTURY OF PROGRESS IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES 



for publication in fields that are unable to support their own journals. At pres- 

 ent there are even a number of periodicals that deal only with insects of a 

 single order, like the Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. It is interesting to specu- 

 late on the possibility that at some future time at least the small papers and 

 notes concerning each major insect group will appear in their own specialized 

 publications. 



Thus Europe became the fatherland or heartland of systematic entomology. 

 Ideally, each specialist, regardless of his location, should begin his studies with 

 the European fauna, especially the type species of European genera, before pro- 

 ceeding to study the fauna of any other region. Much confusion in nomenclature 

 is due to erroneous assignments of foreign species to European genera or to a 

 failure to assign new species to the known European genera. This is particu- 

 larly true, of course, in other north-temperature regions of the world. 



Developments in America 



When we turn our attention to America, the other great center of science 

 and systematic entomology, we find the course of events quite different. Like all 

 pioneers, the early colonists in America were far too busy creating a new society 

 in the wilderness to give much time to the study of fauna and flora, unless these 

 proved edible. Some cynics will say that the same attitude prevails in America 

 to this day, and there is some truth in this; in many ways we are still unsettled 

 nations, experiencing great population shifts. 



To the need for justifying an activity as serving some practical end, was 

 added the fact that most of the emigrants in those days were people who were 

 least likely to have been well enough established at home before their departure 

 from Europe to engage in a scientific hobby. 



Some American insects did reach the hands of European workers, but not 

 until the time of Thomas Say did important systematic studies in America begin. 

 As Hatch, in the Coleoptera section of this series, points out, the scope of syste- 

 matic studies did not long remain confined to the New England states where 

 they began. Almost at once portions of the i)opulation moved westward and, 

 augmented by a steady stream of unsettled European emigrants, rapidly formed 

 bustling, almost Continental nations. Even today the number of Americans who 

 have studied insects has been woefully inadequate to cope effectively with the 

 rich insect fauna awaiting description and classification. The task was magni- 

 fied by the development of a regionalism that is particularly detrimental; the 

 extent of which has made almost impossible the production of adequate popu- 

 lar treatments, which are needed to inspire the beginner and hold his interest 

 until he is able to continue his work in the face of the difficulties and labor that 

 confront anyone attempting serious advanced work. 



Other influences besides geographic expanse soon affected the progress of 

 systematic entomology. The Industrial Revolution of the past century caused 

 great concentrations of urban populations, which became dependent on an in- 

 tensive type of agricultural production for their food, while at the same time, 

 the machines of the Eevolution provided the tools the farmer needed for pro- 

 duction on a vast scale. The transformation from diversified small-scale agri- 

 culture to specialized large-scale agriculture made more acute the attacks of 



