INSECTS. 295 



assistance they have rendered, however, in providing 

 names for all these wonderful creatures, in describing their 

 habits and their economy, and in assigning them places in 

 the beautiful classification that has been provided for 

 them. 



On turning from men to books, but little more assistance 

 or encouragement was met with ; these too would only 

 give the names, the places, and the descriptions, in the 

 most approved language of the science, but they are not 

 attractive nor intelligible to the unlearned. Any person 

 can soon acquire the language of the science, with a little 

 study, but these scientific books do not give us directions 

 how to rid ourselves of the pests. 



Among the books that are accessible and that are 

 adapted to the general reader, and to the student of prac- 

 tical entomology, two were found of eminent utility as 

 far as they went. These are the excellent reports to the 

 Massachusetts and the New York Agricultural Societies, 

 by Messrs. Harris and Fitch, which are clothed in popular 

 language, and which treat particularly of the insects in- 

 jurious to vegetation, and they put us in the way of com- 

 bating our foes. The former, which has been reprinted 

 and illustrated in beautiful style, is worthy of a place in 

 every farmer's library, and will prove a valuable aid in 

 the study: the latter is printed in connection with the 

 Society's reports. To both of these, the author acknowl- 

 edges his indebtedness, and from both has he drawn lib- 

 erally. 



Other popular treatises, though attractive, have proved 

 of very little practical value, and the student will find 

 even the reports above referred to imperfect, as they 



