vi PREFACE. 



subject and the plan of my Report were suggested by the instruc- 

 tions of the Governor, and by the want of a work, combining sci- 

 entific and practical details on the natural history of our noxious 

 insects. From among such of the latter as are injurious to plants, 

 I selected for description chiefly those that were remarkable for their 

 size, for the peculiarity of their structure and habits, or for the ex- 

 tent of their ravages ; and these, alone, will be seen to constitute a 

 formidable host. As they are found not only in Massachusetts, but 

 throughout New England, and indeed in most parts of the United 

 States, the propriety of giving to the work a more comprehensive 

 title than it first bore, becomes apparent. This was accordingly 

 done in the small impression, that was printed at my own charge, 

 while the original Report was passing through the press, and in 

 which some other alterations were made to fit it for a wider circu- 

 lation. 



In the course of eight years, all the copies of the Report, and 

 of the other impression, were entirely disposed of. Meanwhile, 

 some materials for a new edition were collected, and these have 

 been embodied in the present work, which I have been called upon 

 to prepare and carry through the press. 



Believing that the aid of science tends greatly to improve the 

 condition of any people engaged in agriculture and horticulture, and 

 that these pursuits form the basis of our prosperity, and are the 

 safeguards of our liberty and independence, I have felt it to be my 

 duty, in treating the subject assigned to me, to endeavor to make it 

 useful and acceptable to those persons whose honorable employment 

 is the cultivation of the soil. 



T. W. H. 



Cambkidge, Mass., Oct. 15, 1S52. 



