PREFACE, 



The first edition of tliis work was printed in the year 1841. It formed 

 one of the scientific Reports, which were prepared and published by 

 the Commissioners on the Zoological and Botanical Survey of Massa- 

 chusetts, agreeably to an order of the General Court, and at the ex- 

 pense of the State. The Commission for this" Survey bore the date 

 of June 10th, 1837 ; and the following instructions from his Excel- 

 lency, Governor Everett, accompanied it : 



" It is presumed to have been a leading object of the Legislature, 

 in authorizing this Survey, to promote the agricultural benefit of the 

 Commonwealth, and you will keep carefully in view the economical 

 relations of every subject of your enquiry. By this, however, it is 

 not intended that scientific order, method, or comprehension, should 

 be departed from. At the same time, that which is practically use- 

 ful will receive a proportionally greater share of attention, than that 

 which is merely curious ; the promotion of comfort and happiness 

 being the great human end of all science." 



Upon a division of duties among the Commissioners, the depart- 

 ment of Insects was assigned to me. Some idea of the extent of 

 this department may be formed by an examination of my Catalogues 

 of the Insects of Massachusetts, appended to the first and second 

 editions of Professor Hitchcock's Report, in which above 2300 spe- 

 cies were enumerated ; and these doubtless fall very far short of 

 the actual number to be found within this Commonwealth. In en- 

 tering upon my duty, I was deterred from attempting to describe all 

 these insects by the magnitude of the undertaking, and by the con- 

 sideration that such a work, much as it might promote the cause of 

 science, if well done, could not be expected to prove either inter- 

 esting or particularly useful to the great body of the people. The 



