Jan., 'o6] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 17 



Washington to the effect that Dr. S. had advised his repre- 

 sentative in Congress that the Bill (which the Society had 

 caused to be introduced. W.) was an unworthy one, that the 

 Society was composed of only a few persons and that Mr. 

 Weeks was simply working for a job. Dr. S. had doubtless 

 seen in the papers that the Secretary's Representative and the 

 Secretary had spoken in its favor before the Committee on 

 Interstate and Foreign Commerce. The fact that the subject 

 was before that committee showed the character of the bill, 

 which was that the President appoint a commission to act 

 with one from New York and New Jersey, if such be appointed, 

 to consider the questions of the economic relief of the condi- 

 tions existing in the great marshes bordering on New York 

 and those of Long Island. The bill was modelled after a 

 similar one which failed through being introduced late in the 

 previous sessions at Washington and Albany. When the 

 question came up at a large meeting of the Executive Council 

 of the Society in January, '05, as to whether the bill should 

 be re-introduced, the treasurer, Mr. Frederick C. Beach, editor 

 and large owner of the Scientific American, amended so that 

 the bill should be also introduced in New Jersey, and later 

 agreed to its introduction, as he knew a member, and was fur- 

 nished with a copy of the New York bill of 1904 for a guide. 

 The Trenton bill mentioned certain officials for its commission, 

 and left six unnamed, so that (to answer Dr. S.) if the Gov- 

 ernor thought he was a suitable person for such a commission 

 he could have appointed him. 



But the bill was not one for entomologists to consider but 

 mainly for engineers. It related to broad commercial and 

 economic questions, which only persons skilled in such could 

 intelligently consider. It seems rather strange for an ento- 

 mologist to court a place on such a commission, when mos- 

 quitoes were only incidently involved. And, yet, because he 

 was not directly informed and specifically named, though he 

 knew in various ways of such action being proposed (for it 

 was mentioned in Bulletin 1, of November, '04, and in press 

 items sent to him), he worked himself into a rage, dangerous 

 to himself and everybody else, and tries, by abusive letters to 



