MEMOIR. XXI 



intervals it is true, between us till his decease. I often urged Mr. Say to 

 prepare a manual which would serve for American insects, as Pursh's 

 Flora and Eaton's Manual did for plants, and he assured nie that he was 

 collecting materials for the purpose. The describing of an immense num- 

 ber of new, or supposed new species, occupied all the time that he could 

 give to Entomology, and I do not find among his papers anything like an 

 outline or commencement of the desired work. 



In the meanwhile I had formed the Idea of a local fauna insectorum, 

 which should include only the species common in this vicinity, and I began 

 to write descriptions of these species, but found myself embarrassed for the 

 want of books. This difficulty rather increased, or appeared of more im- 

 portance, as my knowledge of species was enlarged, and I soon found my- 

 self ib possession of a very large number of insects, which could not, with 

 any propriety, be arranged in any of the genera described in my books. 

 To supply myself with all the works necessary for determining these species 

 and reducing them to their proper genera, required a much larger sum of 

 money than I could command, and I have been compelled to wait even till 

 this time without having my wants in this respect supplied. In the mean- 

 while some of my descriptions were published in the " New England 

 Farmer," and the series would have been continued there if I could have 

 hoped to excite any interest in the science among those who had the power, 

 if not the inclination, to aid it. 



The lectured which I was called upon to deliver before the Natural His- 

 tory Society in Boston, gave a different direction to my studies for a Avhile; 

 but about that time I wrote an introduction, or rather made something like 

 a systematic abstract from the scientific part of Kirby and Spence's Ento- 

 mology on the subject of the external anatomy, transformations, and differ- 

 ent states of insects; which I supposed It would be necessary to prefix to 

 my local fauna. Additions to this and to the descriptive part of the con- 

 templated work have been made at subsequent periods, but still a large part 

 of the labor remains to be done. I have no Idea how larsre a book It would 

 make when finished, nor do I see any prospect of my being able at present 

 to finish it, and indeed I have nearly abandoned all hope of bringing It to a 

 successful termination. 



