PREFACE. IX 



literally as a " Guide," — a means of leading the 

 student onwards to a knowledge of some of the fixed 

 laws of insect life, which we may always rest on as 

 the foundation of serviceahle preventive measures. 

 Descriptions of some of our infestations are given as 

 characteristic of methods of injury, which may be 

 caused in some instances b}^ one kind of insect in one 

 stage of its life, or by some in every stage, or again 

 in the larval or in the perfect state. These are 

 necessarily for the most part taken from our best 

 known attacks, but they are given simply as examples 

 of classes of methods of destruction falling (Itowever 

 caused) under special classes of remedies. 



As before, I have where possible used English 

 rather than scientific terms, and for the explanation 

 of such scientific terms as are necessarily made use 

 of, the reader is referred to the Glossary. For 

 the same reason (that is, as far as possible to avoid 

 burdensome technical description of the appearance 

 of the insects noticed), figures have been given in all 

 cases where they were procurable, and the scientific 

 names of these are given, in case they may be 

 required, in the "List" at pp. xiii— xvi. 



