lOlJf] Animal Life of North Carolina 76 



liere our knowledge of the state fauna in this group comes prac- 

 'tically to a standstill, save for some earlier accounts and descrip- 

 tions of our spiders published by Mr. Hentz, and by Prof. At- 

 kinson. 



III. INSECTS 



We now come to a group which in numbers of species far 

 out-ranks all others, indeed, it far out-ranks all others combined. 

 Aproximately four-fifths of all known, species of animals are 

 insects. Furthermore in their economic aspects they are ex- 

 tremely important, not only as pests to crops, domestic animals 

 and to man, but also as carriers of important diseases. A few 

 have been domesticated to form distinct commercial assets, 

 such as the silk-worm and the honey-bee, while others are useful 

 as natural enemies of the destructive sorts. 



It is but natural that so important a group as this should 

 attract students, and not only are there amateur entomologists 

 (though very few in North Carolina), but both Federal and 

 State governments have seen fit to employ persons in the study 

 of this group, — mostly on the purely economic questions in- 

 volved, — but to some extent on the systematic and morpholo- 

 gical sides as well. And it is essential that a student in ento- 

 mology should have some knowledge of insect classification, 

 else he will surely become entangled, confused and seriously 

 misled among the innumerable closely related species. It has 

 been an ambition of the speaker to contribute in some degree 

 toward making known the insect fauna of the state, and in this 

 effort he had help not only from those officially associated with 

 him, but from Mr. C. S. Brimley, of Raleigh, Rev. A. H. 

 Manee, of Southern Pines, and. from specialists in other states 

 who have identified many specimens and who in some instances 

 have taken an actual part in exploring our rich and varied in- 

 sect fauna. 



For our purposes we may consider our Insects as falling 

 into seven principal grouj^s, though there are several other 

 smaller groups, some of which fall readily into one or another 

 of the seven, and some of which do not. 



The seven main groups are: 



