10 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. XIII, 



increased. In the year 1860 there were only five or six such 

 journals; today there are about fifty. Of course not all of these 

 are of equal importance and dignity. The day, however, is past 

 when a student of entomology in North America need fear that 

 his work, if of value and significance, need long languish in 

 darkness, and fail to be made known to his fellow-laborers. 



Another fact worthy of note is not merely the multiplication 

 of learned societies to which I have already alluded, but of 

 institutions for research and for the promotion of a knowledge 

 of the natural sciences. In 1860 there were only half a dozen 

 museums in the new world, and these were quite in their 

 infancy. Today there are a multitude of museums, some of 

 them well-housed, well-equipped, and well-supported, which 

 are fit to become the ultimate repositories of important ento- 

 mological collections, and there are a number of endowed insti- 

 tutions, which in a broad manner promote intensive studies in 

 natural science. 



In 1860 the number of men and women engaged in entomo- 

 logical pursuits in the United States and Canada were numbered 

 by scores; today they are numbered by thousands. 



In 1860 there was not a single manual dealing with the 

 science issued from an American press. Packard's "Guide to 

 the Study of Insects" was the first to appear, and it came out 

 in 1869. Today there are a number of textbooks easily avail- 

 able, and the young man or woman who wishes to make a serious 

 study of the subject is not forced to fall back, as we, their elders, 

 were, upon the pages of European writers, such as Burmeister. 



The literature needed by the specialist in 1860 was scanty. 

 Today it has grown to be so enormous that complaint is being 

 made. Our greatest need at the present time is condensation. 

 Compact manuals covering the various branches of the science 

 are called for. Hand-books, such as the botanists have provided, 

 covering the various orders, should be prepared. 



In speaking of the growth of the literature of our science in 

 America, I have been interested in examining the lists of ento- 

 mological publications furnished by the "Zoological Record." 

 In the year 1864, when that journal first appeared, one hundred 

 and forty-nine papers upon entomology are listed, only five of 

 which are from the pens of North American writers. I am 

 quite sure that the figures given for that year are incorrect. 



