1909] JOHNSON — LOCAL ECOLOGICAL STUDIES 1a 
wood trees. Packard in 1890 recorded over 500 species of all orders as injurious to 
the oak in the United States, and says that ultimately the number may even reach 
1000. About 170 species infest the hickories, 40 the locust, 80 the elm, 100 the 
different species of maples, over 100 the various birches, 40 the beech, 130 the wild 
cherries, plums, thorns, etc., 45 the ash, 60 the linden, 100 the poplars, 225 the 
willows, 50 the alder, 35 the hazel, 170 the pines, 80 the spruces and fir, and 60 the 
larch and junipers. Add to these the army of dependent parasites, and we have a 
very forcible illustration of the flora as a factor in the distribution of insects. 
The first list of New England insects was that published by Harris in 1833 in 
Hitchcock’s Report on the Geology, Botany and Zoology of Massachusetts. ‘This 
was revised in 1835 in a second edition of the same work. he list contains 2350 
species, most of these having been collected in the vicinity of Boston. ‘The relation 
of insects to plants, was fully appreciated by Harris, although it would be rather 
difficult, even at this time, to give a ratio. In closing his remarks he says: — “‘’The 
proportion of insects to plants has been stated to be six species of the former to one 
of the latter. The flowering plants of Massachusetts amount to above 1,200 species, 
hence our insects cannot be much less in number than 7,000 species.” It is not a 
bad estimate for that time, considering that we now estimate the number in New 
England at 11,000, but his number of plants was entirely too low, and his ratio on 
the present number of plants would give Massachusetts over 12,000 species. 
There are comparatively few local faunal lists of New England insects to aid in 
working out many of the interesting features in geographical distribution. In 1874 
Mr. E. P. Austin (Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., XVI, 265) published a “Catalogue 
of the Coleoptera of Mt. Washington, N. H.,” followed by a list of additional species 
by Mr. F. Gardiner, Jr., in 1877 (Psyche II, 211). The two lists contain 314 species. 
In 1894, Mrs. A. T. Slosson commenced a ‘“‘list of the insects taken in the alpine 
region of Mt. Washington.’ Additions to the list have appeared at various times 
up to November, 1906, the total number recorded being 2208 species, including 62! 
Coleoptera, 628 Hymenoptera, 599 Diptera, 119 Lepidoptera and 122 Hemiptera. 
While the species recorded were all taken in the alpine region, it 1s not in its entirety 
a list of the true alpine species, for strong winds frequently carry there large numbers 
of insects from the lower levels. Miss Mattie Wadsworth (Ent. News I-V) has 
listed 57 species of Odonata from Manchester, Me., a good local list considering that 
Dr. Calvert’s list gives 140 for New England. 
There is now in progress a great deal of work along the lines of distribution. 
Dr. W. E. Britton is at work on the insect fauna of Connecticut, Mr. N. S. Easton 
has just finished a list of 1019 species of Coleoptera collected within ten miles of the 
