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ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY CIRCULAR 39 



tion of insects known to damage crops, stored grains, and house- 

 hold articles, or to threaten human health. Important also is its 

 use as a storehouse of information regarding the ecology, host 

 relationships, and distribution of Illinois insects. 



For maximum usefulness, the collection should contain a 

 complete representation of the Illinois insect fauna, supplement- 



Fig. 65. — A view in the collection room of the Illinois Natural History 

 Survey. In the steel cabinets and hardwood trays shown here are arranged 

 the pinned insect specimens. Similar cabinets contain material in liquid 

 preservative. Adjoining the collection room are the offices and laboratories 

 of the Section of Faunistic Surveys and Insect Identification, where records 

 of insect distribution and habits are kept on file. 



ed with as much additional North American material as can be 

 obtained. This additional comparison material is frequently 

 necessary to evaluate correctly the species occurring in the state. 

 It is estimated that there are about 18,000 different species of 

 insects in Illinois and 80,000 in North America. The collection 

 contains representatives of over 13,000 Illinois species, and a 

 great many other North American species useful as comparison 

 material in the identification of Illinois forms. 



So large is the field of insect classification that many impor- 

 tant gaps exist in our knowledge of the Illinois fauna. Gifts to 

 the collection of well-prepared material are greatly appreciated. 



