INTRODUCTION v 



On the other hand are the beneficial forms. Those 

 that operate directly are familiar to all, the producers of 

 honey and of silk being the best known. Of far more 

 value even than these are the ones which fertilize the 

 flowers and make possible the production of seeds and 

 fruit. Take away the insects and a large part of our flora 

 would disappear through inability to propagate itself 

 without the aid of insects. 



But the student of entomology does not necessarily 

 make the economic importance of the subject his prime 

 motive for taking up the study. To many the charm of 

 the subject lies, not in the consideration of the hundreds 

 of forms that have a direct bearing on the welfare of man, 

 but rather, in the thousands and thousands whose claim 

 to interest lies in the fact that they are a part of the 

 great scheme of nature and that the study of them will, 

 like few other studies, bring one into close touch with 

 nature. The economic phases of the subject are acquired 

 in a perfectly natural and logical manner through the 

 study of the life histories of the most common forms, 

 since many of these are at the same time the most in- 

 jurious. 



To inculcate in the young student a love of nature and 

 to stimulate the faculties to observe what is going on in 

 the great world of nature, nothing is better than the 

 study of insects. This forces the student to take an in- 

 terest also in the kindred subject of botany, since there 

 are few plants that are not directly affected by insects 

 and which will not be involved in the studies of the biol- 

 ogy of the many forms. 



Entomology may be studied to the best advantage in 

 the spring, summer and fall, but the subject is by no 

 means closed during the winter months, as there are many 



