WHOLE VOL. APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY HOWARD 8l 



legislation concerning the investigation of insects, he regretted them. 

 The letter follows with a strong argument and urges the appointment 

 of an entomologist on the recommendation of the National Academy 

 of Sciences. 



C. V. Riley was made chairman of the commission, A. S. Pack- 

 ard, Jr., secretary, and Cyrus Thomas, treasurer. Tlie appointments 

 were appropriate, Riley had been studying the locust for three 

 years, had published admirable reports about it in his Seventh, 

 Eighth, and Ninth Missouri Reports, for the years 1874, 1875. and 

 1876. Thomas had made an especial study of grasshoppers, had been 

 connected with the Geological Survey from 1869 until 1873, and at 

 the time of his appointment was State Entomologist of Illinois. Pack- 

 ard, a well known entomologist, had published reports on the injuri- 

 ous insects of Massachusetts, was the author of the well known 

 " Guide to the Study of Insects," and had done work with the Geo- 

 logical Survey. At that time Riley was 34 years of age, Packard 38, 

 and Thomas 52. 



Some space should be given here to the work of the Commission, 

 since it was an important step in the development of economic ento- 

 mology in the United States. The great fears created by the migra- 

 tory grasshoppers and the enormous damage which they did had 

 focused popular attention on the subject, and the national recognition 

 given to it by the appointment of a national commission marked an 

 era. 



Although the funds were lamentably insufficient, the members of 

 the commission were in their prime and were experienced workers. 

 The appropriations for the commission were renewed for two years 

 only,^ but, taking advantage of the rather loose condition of the 

 government printing regulations at that time, they were able not 

 only to produce the two volumes relating exclusively to the migra- 

 tory grasshoppers, but also to publish several bulletins and three 

 additional large reports, the third relating to a variety of insects, 

 the fourth to the cotton-worm and boll-worm, and the fifth to forest 

 insects. The last three reports were issued from the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture, and the first two from the Department of the 

 Interior, the fifth report not being published until 1890. There were 

 also seven bulletins. The first two related to the migratory grasshop- 

 per, the third to the cotton-worm, the fourth to the Hessian fly, the 

 fifth to the chinch bug. The sixth was entitled " General Index and 

 Supplement to the Nine Reports on the Insects of Missouri." This 



' Ten thousand dollars in 1878 and a like sum in 1879. 



