544 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 84 



bring about mass starvation of the human race, for, if we do not 

 invent new food, we will at least learn how to grow our old plant 

 foods in such a way as not to encourage insect multiplication. And 

 the time will surely come when we will have conquered the insect 

 menace, when we will have discovered means of holding them in 

 check — so much so that notable loss from their work will have 

 ceased except where ignorance or carelessness i)revails. 



A facetious friend, to whom I was saying something like this the 

 other day, said " Yes, I expect to live to see legislation creating insect 

 reserves, .or preserves." This satirical remark did not dampen my 

 enthusiasm, since I have great faith in human intelligence in spite 

 of our many stupid, blundering ways. In fact, I countered by telling 

 my friend of the talk by N. C. Rothschild before the Second Inter- 

 national Congress of Entomology at Oxford in 1912. Mr. Roths- 

 child explained the steps that had been taken in Great Britain to 

 create reserves where the indigenous fauna and flora might flourish 

 immolested, and dwelt upon the vanishing insects in famous collecting 

 spots. He was followed in the discussion by his brother Walter (now 

 Lord Rothschild), by the Rev. F. D. Morice of England, by E. Olivier 

 of France, C. Kerremans of Belgium, Y. Sjostedt of Sweden, 

 F. Wichgraf, P. Speiser, and H. J. Kolbe of Germany, and the 

 writer — all speaking of nature-preserve movements in their own 

 countries or of instances where civilization had ruined favorite col- 

 lecting places. 



As a matter of fact, although we are prone to dwell at length upon 

 the enormous opportunities that civilization has given insects, it has 

 nevertheless reduced their opportunities in many instances. For 

 example, the settling of the northwestern part of the United States 

 and the bringing of very large areas under cultivation have resulted 

 in the practical disappearance of the so-called Rocky Mountain locust, 

 or "Colorado grasshopper" {Melanophis spretiis). Again, the so- 

 called seventeen-year locust, or |jeriodical Cicada (Cicada septcn- 

 decun) is lessening in number. Larvae hatching from eggs deposited 

 in a given year and entering the soil, when ready to emerge as adults 

 17 years later, have sometimes found that an entire city has grown 

 up during their long preparatory stages, and are unable to repro- 

 duce. But these instances are all too few, and on the whole, as we 

 have so often said, civilization has been upsetting the l)alance decidedly 

 in favor of the increase of injurious insects. 



In spite of my optimism as to the ulliniatc results, I do not under- 

 estimate the difficulties. In fact, during the past 10 years or more I 

 have dwelt as forcibly as possible and upon all possible occasions on 



