56 PROTECTION OF PLANTS, 1916-17 



One might say that, but for Provancher, Canada, and particularly the 

 Province of Quebec, would not count for much in the history of entomolog\\ 

 But let us consider the merits of our Canadian Linnaeus. He had the cour- 

 age and hardihood to undertake the publication in those early days, in a 

 country still young, of his "Flore Canadienne" (1862), and he gave a still 

 greater proof of these sterling qualities when he undertook, in 1877, to 

 publish in our country such an extensive work as his "Petite Faune En- 

 tomologique." One can better realize the value of this work when it is 

 remembered how \ery few countries possess any complete work on their 

 entomological fauna; and usually where there is such a work it is the results 

 of the combined efforts of a number of authors. But nowhere, since Lin- 

 naeus, had there been found an author to attempt a complete work on the 

 entomology- of a country — nowhere, except in the province of Quebec, 

 where Provancher not only undertook the work but accomplished a large 

 part of it. It must he acknowledged, in excuse for the lack of attempt to 

 bring out a complete work on the natural history of insects, that entomology 

 is as yet only in its infancy. Very little can be regarded as definitely 

 achieved as yet. and entomologists will require to make many changes in 

 their collections of insects, for the various families and species are so numer- 

 ous that they have only been imperfectly studied so far, and every day new 

 discoveries are made which tend to upset the classifications already esta- 

 blished. Provancher, for his part, discovered and named no less than three 

 of four hundred species of insects of the Province of Quebec, and the greater 

 part of these have been upheld by entomological authorities, thus securing 

 scientific immortality to our illustrious fellow-countryman. 



His chief claim to the title of pioneer and even father of Canadian 

 entomology, lies in the technical works which he published on the history of 

 our insects. To be sure, their practical value has somewhat decreased since 

 discoveries are many and progress is rapid in the science of entomology; but 

 these works, in their broad outline at least, are still necessary for the 

 beginner in the study of our insects, and will for a long time to come guide 

 amateurs in the vast realm of entom.ology. 



The following is a brief history of this great work — the "Petite Faune 

 Entomologique du Canada" — of which the first volume, devoted to Coleop- 

 tera, bears the date 1877. Abbe Provancher published part of this history 

 of our Coleoptera in the Naturaliste Canadien. He had brought out in this 

 way about a third of it between the years 1870 and 1873, but he came to the 

 conclusion that it would take far too long to publish the whole work in this 

 manner, and in January, 1874, he presented to the public his first volume 

 complete, dealing with Coleoptera. This volume was of 12mo. size, con- 

 tained 786 pages printed on de luxe paper, and was sold at S3.00. It is 



