The United States National Museum 345 



"The subjoined statement refers to the source of -the 

 different collections now brought together. Looking at the 

 collection as a whole, however, the departments which stand 

 out conspicuously are (a) the collection of North American 

 Noctuidse (probably the most complete in existence), (b) the 

 collection of Parasitic Hymenoptera (undoubtedly the largest 

 collection of bred specimens in the world), (c) the Orthop- 

 terous family, Acrididae, (d} the Homopterous families Coc- 

 cidae, Aphididae, and Psyllidae (without doubt the largest 

 accumulation of North American species), (e) the Dipterous 

 families Syrphidae and Empidae, (/) the collection of Myri- 

 opoda. 



"The Department is at present in excellent working con- 

 dition. It contains a very great amount of material in all 

 orders, and in many unusual directions surpasses any collec- 

 tion in the country. Among others the following are of special 

 interest : 



"i. The large collection, in all orders, of Doctor C. V. 

 Riley. 



" 2. All of the material gathered during the past eighteen 

 years by correspondents, field agents, and the office staff of 

 the Division of Entomology, United States Department of 

 Agriculture. 



" 3. The greater part of the collection of Asa Fitch. 



"4. The large collection, in all orders, of G. W. Belfrage. 



" 5. The collections in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera made by 

 Doctor John B. Smith down to 1889, together with the types 

 of the Noctuidae since described by Doctor Smith. 



"6. The collection of Lepidoptera of O. Meske. 



" 7. The collection of Lepidoptera of G. Beyer. 



" 8. The collection of Coleoptera of M. L. Linell. 



"9. The bulk of the collection, in all orders, of H. K. Mor- 

 rison. 



" 10. The collection of Diptera of Edward Burgess. 



"ii. The type collection of Syrphidae made by Doctor S. 

 W. Williston. 



" 12. The collection of Ixodidae of Doctor George Marx. 



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