the subject midei- review, giving i-redit in all eases to the authorities quoted. 

 I have to express uiy tliaulcs to Dr. James Fletcher, Domiuiou Eutomologlst. 

 and the Rev. Geo. W. Ta.vlor. of AVelliugton, for assistance rendered in revising 

 m.v work: also to Dr. S. F. Tolmie on "Stock Pests." and Mr. E. F. Robinson 

 on '■ Bee Pests." Nevertheless, I am quite aware that in a publication of this 

 description mistakes will occur in spite of the most careful revision, and for 

 all such I ask the indulgence of the public. 



Kellogg, in his introduction to "American Insects." sa.vs: 



" Throughout this book reference is coustantl.v made to the in.iuries done 

 by insects to our forest-trees, flowers, fruits, vegetables and grains. The 

 millions of dollars lost annually because of the sap-sucking of the San Jose 

 scale, the grape-phylloxera, the chinch-bug. and the Hessian fly, and the biting 

 and chewing of beetles and cateridllars, grubs and borers, are a sort of direct 

 tax paid by farmers and fruit-growers for the jirivilege of farming and grow- 

 ing fruit. If this tax were levied by Government and collected by agents with 

 two feet, instead of being levied by Nature and collected by six-footed agents. 

 what a .swift revolt there would be 1 But we have, most of us, a curious 

 inertia that leads us to suffer with some protesting complaint but little 

 protesting action the ' ways of I'rovideuce." eveu when we fairly well recognise 

 that Providence is chiefly otirselves. 



" When we reflect on the four hundred millions of dollars a year lost to 

 our pockets* b.v insect ravages, we may incline to believe that the only kind 

 •of insect study which slioidd claim our attention is the study of how to rid our 

 lands of these pests. We may lie excused for affirming of bugs, as was said 

 of Indians by .some epigrammatist, that the only good ones are the dead ones. 

 When, however, we learn, as we are learning in these present days, that 

 insects are not simiily serious enemies of our crops and purses, Imt are trul.v 

 dangerous to our very health and life, we must become still more extravagant 

 in our condemnatory expressions concerning them, 



" We have long looked on mosquitoes, house-flies and fleas as anno.vauces 

 and even tormentors, but that each of these pests actually acts as an iuter- 

 luediate host for. and is an active disseminator of, one or more wide-spread 

 and fatal diseases is knowledge that has been got onl.v receutl.v. Mosquitoes 

 help to propagate, and are, almost certainly, the exclusive disseminating agents 

 of malaria, .vellow fever, and the various forms of filariasis: house-flies aid 

 in spreading typhoid fever and other diseases ; fleas are agents in distributing 

 the germs of bubonic plague. Other insects are known to spread other 

 •diseases. Howard says : ■ While in malaria and tj-phoid we have two principal 

 diseases common to the United States which may be conveyed by insects, the 

 agency of these little creatures in the transfer of the disease-germs is liy no 

 means confined to human beings. In Eg.viit and in the Fi.ii Islands there is 

 a destructive e.ve-disease of human beings, the germs of which are carried b.v 

 the common house-fly. In our Southern States an eye-disease known as piuk- 

 e.ve is carried b.v certain \'ery minute flies of the .genus Hippelates. The so- 

 called Texas fever of cattle is unquestionabl.v transferred b.v the couunon 

 cattle-tick, and this was the earliest of the clearly demonstrated cases of the 

 transfer of disease b.v insects. In Africa a similar disease of cattle is tr.-ins- 



'In the rnitoii States.— J. R..\. 



