52 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



of a fundamental character, since it is absolutely necessary to 

 define species before any precise statements can be made as to 

 their life history and habits. Several allied forms have been care- 

 fully studied in all stages and satisfactory diagnostic characters 

 worked out. Morphologic studies are very important because they 

 reveal natural relationships, something of considerable moment 

 when studying disease-bearing forms, since it is well recognized 

 that closely allied species are very likely to have similar habits. 

 The efficiency of ordinary repressive work also depends largely on 

 a correct knowledge of the species involved. It was extremely 

 difficult to identify either larvae or adults of our native forms 

 previous to the appearance of Museum bulletin 79, a work which 

 contains a series of illustrations very nearly essential to their identi- 

 fication. A material addition to our knowledge of these insects is 

 given in Museum bulletin 97, which contains a revised key for the 

 separation of a large proportion of American Culicid larvae and 

 is of special interest because of the morphologic study of the ter- 

 minal abdominal appendages, particularly those of the male. We 

 have succeeded in homologizing these structures, have bestowed 

 thereupon a set of appropriate names and our studies have demon- 

 strated that these organs are of great importance to the systematist. 

 Careful morphologic studies have already been made of a number 

 of exotic forms, new material is constantly being received and we 

 should soon be in position to make another important addition to 

 the study of this group. Mr J. R. Gillett, a medical student, has 

 been employed for six months in rearing mosquitos and making 

 microscopic preparations. Some idea of the character and extent 

 of our work may be gained from the following statistics : The State 

 collection of Culicidae now comprises about 4600 pinned specimens, 

 many of them bred, over 1600 microscopic preparations and numer- 

 ous vials containing alcoholic specimens of larvae, a total of nearly 

 140 species being represented in the adult or larval stages, many 

 of them in both. It is proposed eventually to bring together the 

 results of our biologic and morphologic studies in a thoroughly 

 comprehensive treatise on the mosquitos of New York State. 



Aquatic insects. Dr James G. Needham and Cornelius Betten 

 spent the summer in investigating the aquatic insect fauna of Old 

 Forge and its immediate vicinity. This work resulted in large 

 additions to the State collections, particularly in the Syrphidae and 

 Caddis flies. Dr Needham is now engaged on a monographic 

 account of the stone flies (Plecoptera) of New York State, which 



