Introductioo 



groups considered, but that it also points the way to new discoveries 

 in the cases of many insects whose hfe stories have yet to be com- 

 pletely told. For nearly a generation the author has been in com- 

 mand of a small army of investigators whom he has been directing 

 in just this sort of discovery, so it is not strange that his leadership 

 in this field should be of great valueito the readers of this book. 



To the general reader, as well as to the pupils in the schools and 

 their teachers, the stories of insect lives will be of special interest; 

 but to the serious student who wishes to undertake the study of 

 certain groups, the synoptic tables given in the following pages will 

 prove most helpful guides. They are the charts which each 

 voyager must consult in attempting to sail through the intricate 

 seas of insect nomenclature and they will lead into safe havens in 

 which to classify the treasures of his collections. It is fortunate 

 that in the Bureau of Entomology at Washington and the National 

 Museum with which it is so closely connected, there should be 

 specialists in all the leading orders of insects, many of whom have 

 helped in the making of these synoptic tables. The references to 

 the literature of each important group will also prove of much as- 

 sistance to those interested in further study of the subject, while 

 the chapter on collecting and preserving insects will prove a source 

 of help and inspiration not only to the beginner but also to many 

 of longer experience. 



It seems certain that this new issue of one of the most valuable 

 books in the admirable series of the Nature Library will be widely 

 welcomed by the American public. Its authoritativeness and the 

 mechanical perfection of its illustrations and general make-up com- 

 bine to give it an enviable position upon the select list of worth- 

 while books upon popular science. 



Clarence M. Weed. 

 State Normal School, 

 Lowell, Massachusetts, 



Aug. 18, 1922. 



IX 



