REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST I907 II 



labors in entomology. This collection, consisting of some 10,000 

 specimens and representing over 3000 species, is in excellent con- 

 dition. It contains a large number of native forms. as well as 

 representatives from Europe, Asia and Africa. The Nymphalidae, 

 Lycaenidae, Hesperidae, Sphingidae and Noctuidae are particularly 

 well represented, as may be seen by reference to the catalogue pub- 

 lished as appendix A. The preparation of this catalogue has 

 devolved upon the assistants in the office, first assistant D. B. 

 Young being largely responsible for its arrangement. 



Office work. The general work of the office has progressed 

 without any serious interruption, the Assistant Entomologist being 

 responsible for the correspondence during the absence of the Ento- 

 mologist. There has been a well sustained popular interest in the 

 search for the occurrence of either the gipsy or the brown tail 

 moth in the State, and as a result a considerable number of insects 

 have been sent in for determination. There has been, owing to con- 

 ditions unfavorable to insect injury in the early part of the year, 

 some falling off in the correspondence as shown by the following 

 figures: 1447 letters, 598 postals, and 915 packages were sent 

 through the mails and 126 packages were shipped by express. 



Nursery certificates. The state of Virginia still insists that 

 all certificates accompanying shipments of nursery stock in this 

 State shall be indorsed by an official entomologist, and upon request 

 of the State Commissioner of Agriculture, we have continued as 

 in past years to indorse certificates issued by his office. The fol- 

 lowing is a list of firms to whom these nursery certificates were 

 issued during 1907: S. B. Huested, Blauvelt; Dansville Nursery 

 Co., The Rogers Nurseries, Stark Bros., Morey & Son, Bryant 

 Bros., Geo. A. Sweet, G. W. Whitney & Co., all of Dansville ; 

 Wheelock & Clarke, George S. Joselyn, T. S. Hubbard, all of 

 Fredonia; Reliance Nursery Co., R. G. Chase & Co., The M. H. 

 Harman Co., Sears, Henry & Co., all of Geneva; Jackson & Per- 

 kins Co., Newark; The Fairview Nurseries, Brown Bros. Co., 

 Olver Bros., Western New York Nursery Co., Chase Bros. & Co., 

 Ellwanger & Barry, H. S. Taylor & Co., Greens Nursery Co., all 

 of Rochester; Lake View Nursery Co., Sheridan. 



Voluntary observers. Certain of these correspondents of the 

 office have submitted reports at various times during the growing 

 season, though owing to the scarcity of destructive insects there 

 has been a marked decrease in these records. 



