26 History of Entomology in the United States. 
numbers were issued, but the laudable enterprise failed for want 
of support. 
Kirby, in the Fauna Boreali-Americana, has described and fig- 
ured a considerable number of our insects. The older writers of 
Europe, Linne, Fasricius, Hersst, Cramer, Goparr and others, 
with the moderns, Desean, Germar, Ericuson, Burmeister, &c. 
&c., have included a large number of our species in their works; 
but still the cultivation of our field may be said to have been just 
begun, thousands of our insects still remaining undescribed. 
In August, 1842, the Entomological Society of Pennsylvania was 
formed at York, by a few energetic naturalists, who are pursuing 
the subject with a very commendable zeal. They have already 
described and published in the Proceedings of Acad. Nat. Sci. of 
Phil. more than six hundred new species of Coleoptera, and ma- 
ny more still remain to be determined. They have prepared a 
Catalogue of the Coleoptera of the United States, which will be 
of great value to all who study this subject. This institution, 
though yet in its infancy, will contribute much to the promotion 
of the science in our country, especially in the discovery of new 
species. All the active members have been honored by election 
to membership of various scientific societies at home, and two of 
them have received diplomas from abroad. 'The members are in 
possession of valuable books on the subject of entomology, and 
their collections of insects are large and constantly increasing. 
Not afew gentlemen of taste in our country collect insects 
merely as objects of beauty, who do not study the science ; but 
they promote it in some degree, for they sometimes capture spe- 
cies entirely unknown to entomologists. : 
There are not a few foreign collectors in our country, sent out 
by learned societies or universities. They send home an immense 
number, many of which are described and published in foreign 
journals and books. I lately saw a work of the celebrated Ericu- 
son, of Berlin, in which more than three hundred species of 
but a single family (Brachelytra) of North American Coleoptera 
are described. He of course will have the credit of doing that 
which should long ago have been done by our native naturalists. 
_ The science is taught at several of our colleges. Dr. Harris 
delivers a course of lectures on the subject at Cambridge, Prof. 
Apams at Middlebury, the writer of this article at Pennsylvania 
