198 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
is a trustworthy account of what our losses actually are. If 
combined action is needed to meet an evil, the first thing to be 
done is to prove that the evil really does exist to an extent that 
makes combined action worth the trouble of organizing. Now it 
is strange, with all our Societies —Agricultural, Entomological, 
Horticultural, Natural History, Statistical, and others—that not 
one of them has taken up the systematic collection of facts with 
regard to insect losses. It might possibly be not very easy to 
give the losses as expressed in money value, but they might be 
expressed in acres for crops so damaged as to be not worth 
gathering, and by weight or measure for those gathered. As 
none of the existing Societies have done it, it is perhaps worth 
considering whether it might not be well to organize a Society 
for this purpose, which might also discuss insect damage and 
remedies generally. 
When we look at the success which has attended Mr. Symons’ 
efforts to get returns of daily rainfall, and remember that he now 
has 2000 regular observers in the country, and that their record 
has to be a daily one, it seems hardly too much to expect that 
well-directed and sustained energy might secure the regular 
return of statistics of any kind, if it could be shown they were of 
practical use. It is just possible that there may be difficulties in 
the way of doing this which have not occurred to me, such as the 
reluctance of farmers and market gardeners to let their losses 
be known. If those most familiar with the ways of farmers, 
market gardeners, &c., see any reason for believing that trust- 
worthy returns of damage could not be obtained, it would be as 
well that such should be made well known, as then it would be 
clear we must give up expecting statistics, unless they could be 
obtained from inspectors appointed to obtain information from 
their own observations. So far, however, as I know, there would 
be no more difficulty in obtaining reports of losses by insects 
than reports of the first appearance of certain flowers or birds, 
such as we now regularly have. If it is urged that the collection 
of statistics is rather work for a Government than for a Society, 
I would ask, in that case, why are not entomologists taking steps 
to keep the matter under the notice of the Government? Perhaps 
it is not considered to be a strictly entomological matter. In 
that case, is it then for Agricultural Societies to keep an eye on 
the matter, and to memorialize a Government department ? 
The fact I now am considering is that Andrew Murray seemed 
