BULLETIN 



OF THE 



BROOKLYN ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



Vol. VIII October, 19 12 No. i 



1878-1912— A Retrospect. 



By Edward L. Graef, Brooklyn, N. Y. 

 Honorary President of the Brooklyn Entomological Society. 



More than a generation ago, or to be exact, in May, 1878, a 

 few members of the Brooklyn Entomological Society, then six 

 years old, prepared and issued the first number of the Bulletin. 

 It was my privilege to write the first chapter of that publication, 

 and God has spared my life to enable me to introduce the re- 

 surrected Bulletin of 1912. 



In glancing over the names of our early contributors one finds 

 many who have since gained high distinction in the entomological 

 world. In fact the publication itself was the stimulus that spur- 

 red them on to greater efforts, and for this reason it became one 

 of the most successful of its kind. As an illustration of the valu- 

 able matter published, we may mention the synoptic tables of 

 Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. At that time no complete lists of 

 these orders were obtainable, and the tables printed in the Bul- 

 letin were of the greatest assistance to the younger members 

 of the Society. 



Dr. John B. Smith, Rev. Geo. D. Hulst and Professor F. G. 

 Schaupp may be said to have begun their entomological careers 

 in connection with our magazine, while its supporters included 

 many members of the older set, such as Dr. Horn, Dr. Le Conte, 

 A. R. Grote, Hermann Strecker, G. H. French and others. Pre- 

 vious to this time oiu" local collectors were scattered and carried 

 out their work independently; their specimens were largely un- 

 determined and were often kept in show frames without any at- 

 tempt at classification. The Society brought these men together 

 and gave them an opportunity of comparing and naming their 

 specimens, while the interesting facts thus brought out were 

 published. 



