236 



SCIENCE 



[N. Sl Vol. LI. No. 1314 



who has collected ferns in many tropical re- 

 gions of both the old and new world says 

 " none equals Jamaica in either number of 

 species or of individuals." Five hundred pteri- 

 dophytes are known on the island. Another 

 botanist, a student of the mosses, says "the 

 facilities for the study of these plants at Hope 

 Gardens and at Cinchona are probably un- 

 equaled anywhere else in the tropics except at 

 Buitenzorg." It is thus evident that the op- 

 portunities for the study of many sorts of bo- 

 ta,nical problems are abundant at Cinchona, 

 Hope and Castleton. It is also clear that there 

 are many botanical problans of prime impor- 

 tance which can be studied only in such en- 

 vironments. There is then every reason to be- 

 lieve that this American tropical station, which 

 is now available, can be imade as notable by the 

 work of our own investigators as the famous 

 Dutch garden at Buitenzorg in Java has be- 

 come in consequence of the work of the Dutch 

 and other European investigators. 



Further details concerning the types of vege- 

 tation found and the opportunities for research 

 in Jamaica may be found in Scie^tce, 43 : 917, 

 1916, and in The Popular Science Monthly for 

 January, 1915. 



Any American botanist wishing to work at 

 Cinchona may be granted this privilege by the 

 Cinchona Committee, consisting of N. L. Brit- 

 ton, J. M. Coulter and D. S. Johnson. In- 

 quiries for this privilege and for information 

 regarding the conditions under which it may 

 be granted should be sent to the writer. 



Duncan S. Johnson 



Johns Hopkins TlNrTERSiTY, 

 Baltimore 



ENTOMOLOGY IN THE UNITED 

 STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The day has long passed when American 

 scientific activities can be restricted to a nar- 

 row field. Whether we regard the economic 

 needs or the intellectual development, we find 

 ourselves compelled to consider the whole 

 range of science, limited only by our resources 

 and the powers of the human mind. In the 

 field of entomology this involves, among other 

 things, access to adequate collections of in- 

 sects, including not only those found in ISTorth 



America, but the species of the whole world. 

 The leading Eiu'opean countries have long ap- 

 preciated such needs, and have built up col- 

 lections to which Americans have to miake 

 pilgrimages when engaged in comprehensive 

 Studies of insect groups. There is no reason 

 why we should not possess facilities for work 

 at least equal to those of any other country. 

 We have the greatest material resources of 

 any nation at the present time, and certainly 

 are not lacking in the ability to carry on the 

 work. 



The species of insects are far more nmnerous 

 than those of any other group of animals; in 

 fact the described forms exceed those of all other 

 groups combined. Very many of them are of 

 supreme importance and interest to (man, as de- 

 stroyers of our crops, carriers of the germs of 

 disease, enemies of other injurious insects, or 

 sources of some of our most important eco- 

 nomic products. All know the value of the 

 silkworm and the honey bee, but few realize 

 the services of the host of parasitic insects, 

 which keep down the enemies of our crops, and 

 without which agriculture would be impos- 

 sible. All are aware that numerous insects are' 

 injurious to plants, but comparatively feiw 

 know that many of the most harmful of 

 these have been introduced from abroad. 

 The great danger to our crops, or even to 

 our health, may arise from insects accidentally 

 brought from foreign coimtries through the 

 operations of commerce. The San Jose scale, 

 dangerous enemy of many fruits, came from 

 Asia; the cottony cushion scale, which once 

 threatened the extinction of the orange in- 

 dustry in California, came from Australia. 

 The gypsy moth, which has cost this coimtry 

 hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight, 

 is European. The cotton boll weevil, even 

 more to be dreaded, invaded the United 

 States from Mexico and Central America. 

 For urgent practical reasons, therefore, as well 

 as in order to complete and organize our 

 knowledge, we need to know the insects of all 

 countries, and to have them represented in at 

 least one American collection. 



This obvious requirement of a great collec- 

 tion representing the insects of all lands, can 



