Fore Talk 3 



collection as that at the Smithsonian Institution at 

 Washington, and probably none of them ever will, 

 for the collection at the National Capital is made 

 up of the contributions of many, many collectors, 

 but some of my readers may contribute to the col- 

 lection at Washington or exchange specimens with 

 the people at Washington, whom they will find ever 

 ready to assist them in their work and encourage 

 them in their study. 



Do not be afraid of the big men at the head of 

 our country's scientific department; they are all 

 good fellows, they love the boys, especially the 

 young naturalists, even better than they love their 

 treasured collection of dried bugs, butterflies and 

 beetles. 



Every one who has read Mark Twain's works 

 is familiar with tumble " bugs," which are not bugs 

 at all, but beetles. As a rule, beetles are hard- 

 shelled insects with their wings covered up with 

 two neatly fitting lids which give them a back not 

 unlike a turtle's. Every boy in the Southwest has 

 enjoyed himself on a summer day watching a pair 

 of tumble *' bugs " roll their ball along the ground. 

 Perhaps he has put a twig in their path and laughed 

 to see the tumble " bugs " stop pushing the ball to 



