History of Entomology in the United States. 19 
Coleoptera of Pennsylvania, which is quoted as authority by every 
writer on our insects. His manuscripts are numerous, the princi- 
pal of which is a definition of the species enumerated in the cat- 
alogue, and of about six hundred other species not noticed in it. 
He wrote a work on mineralogy and a journal of a tour in Penn- 
sylvania, which were published in Germany, besides several books 
on controversial divinity which were printed in this country. 
At his death, his collection and manuscripts passed into the hands 
of his son, the Rev. Joun Metsuermer, who also succeeded to 
the yaitorel care of his father’s church. This is the gentleman 
so frequently mentioned by Say in his writings.. He contributed 
considerably to the promotion of the science by adding many 
new species to the collection, and furnishing Say with such as he 
wanted, and his observations on them. At his death in 1829, 
the original collection, the books and manuscripts of father and 
son, became the property of another son, Dr. F'. E. MetsHemer, 
now residing near Dover, York Co., Pa. This gentleman is a 
most industrious prosecutor of the science, and must be consider¢ 
ed one of the best entomologists of the country. His nice dis- 
crimination and laborious research have shed much light on the 
subject ; he has cleared away many difficulties—he has discover- 
ed the habits of many known, and determined. the specific char- 
acter of many unknown species. He has described more than 
six hundred new species of Coleoptera, which are now in the 
course of publication in the Proceedings of the Academy of Nat- 
ural Sciences at Philadelphia. His manuscripts on our Lepi 
tera, particularly the Noctuid@, are voluminous, which it is hoped — 
will also be eventually published. 
The late Prof. Wa. D. Pecx of Cambridge, Mass., was perhaps 
the next person after the elder Metsuemer, who paid any consid- 
erable attention to the subject. He described various species which 
are injurious to vegetation, in “The Massachusetts Agricultural 
Repository and Journal.” He seemed to confine his attention 
chiefly to the economical department of the science. His writ- 
ings contributed much to enlighten agriculturists on this branch 
of their profession; for their forest and fruit trees, their garden 
vegetables, grains and other products, are often subject to the rav- 
ages of insects whose nature and habits they do not know, and 
of course, they are ignorant of the best methods of destroying 
them. As far as could be ascertained, the following are the titles 
