445 



hasc a well i:i'(iiiii(lc(| (ipiiiidii in rc-gard to the supplied foriuci' 

 existence of a Pacitic conriuent and tlius to secure further e\'i- 

 (lenee upon the (|uesti(in oi' the peruuiueuee of the coutiueuts 

 aud oceaus, aud, if there uuiy he considered to have hecii such 

 a Pacific continent, to find its foi'uier extent and its I'ehitions 

 to the surrounding continental areas, its antiquity, the orii>in 

 of its fauna and flora, and the extcuit of diveri>('nce in tlu' 

 various li'roups, and to trace as far as it uuiv he done, I he 

 history of the human race in the Pacific. To tlie hroad jiui'- 

 pose of the exploration and to the sidiordiuate ends, we feel 

 that an adequate entomological explorati(jn will contrilmte 

 lai'gely. The richness and diversity of any insect fauna in 

 compai'isou with that of other phases of laud animals aud its 

 greater persistence nnder comlitions leading to the extinction 

 of the larger forms of animal life, tends to make the cou- 

 (dusions drawn from it less subject to accidental errors. \\\i 

 helieve that the biological evidence in regard to these problem^ 

 must rest primarily npon a thorough knowledge of the 

 jtlianerogamic flora, the laud shells and the insects of the re- 

 gions to be explored. 



How this knowledge of the insect fauna may best be se- 

 cnred is indicated by tlie work doiu' in tlie past. Few, if any, 

 of the great exploi'atious in the Pa(dtic have uuule any con- 

 sideral)le contribution to our knowledge of the insect fauna, 

 and today the only gr()U[) of islands in the Pacdtic wliei'c this 

 fauna is at all adecjuately known is our own uroup where the 

 Committee of tlie lioval Society and the Pi'itish Association 

 hit u])ou the uielhod by which an insect fainia inay be nuide 

 known. It was by the selection of smdi an cxircmely capable 

 entomological naturalist as Dr. Perkins and by keej)ing him 

 long enough upon the ground to do the woi'k that the Irulv re- 

 uiarkable results endiodied in the l^';iuua Ilawaiieiisis were 

 secured. 



In the o])inion of this Society, the ade(puite entomological 

 exploration of the Pacitic fi-om the >taMdpoiut of the ])roblems 

 stated and the j)articidar phase of the relation of the Hawaiian 



