APRIL 12, 1912] 
deeply engrossed in the study of dead lan- 
guages. This leaves only short periods in 
fall and spring during which it is possible 
to observe living insects in the woods and 
fields. These brief periods should be em- 
ployed to the best advantage and the stu- 
dent should be told, at the end of the first 
week of the opening term, that a large 
quantity of material will be required for 
laboratory work during winter; that the 
institution does not regularly supply this 
except for reference purposes; that it is to 
be found in plenty in fields and woods, 
where hemusthimself procure and preserve 
it for future use. He should be informed 
that, right then and there, the system of 
grading, of merits and demerits, that will 
be in yogue during his university career 
will be put into operation, and he should be 
marked on the quantity, condition and 
proper preservation of this material. The 
instructor should by all means be able to 
spend one or two afternoons each week 
during good weather in the fields and woods 
with his students. This will encourage and 
develop their habits of observation and 
enable them not only to see things, but 
learn where and how to find insects and 
properly preserve them. ‘This last faculty 
appears to be another factor in the educa- 
tion of an entomologist that frequently 
there has not, in his four years’ training, 
been time to look after. Probably any one 
who saw the condition of material sent to 
the bureau or National Museum for deter- 
mination would get the same impression. 
As a matter of fact, all of this should be 
required in the freshman year and the 
student marked on the quality of his work 
precisely as if done in the laboratory. He 
will and indeed must learn by experience 
that imperfect, dirty and improperly pre- 
served insects are unsatisfactory subjects 
for study. It is said that an entomological 
instructor, in a fit of desperation, sent an 
SCIENCE 
563 
unusually dull student to the college collec- 
tion to find out the number of legs an 
insect possessed. The poor fellow, after 
being out for a considerable time, returned 
and reported that most of them were pos- 
sessed of from one to five legs, but occa- 
sionally one was found with as many as six 
legs. 
Laboratory work means so much and is 
so far reaching that it is impossible to over- 
do it. It is here that the instructor gets 
the closest to his students and all work 
together almost like colleagues, thus giving 
him the opportunity of his life to study his 
pupils and correct their individual defects. 
Then, there are so many things that enter 
into laboratory work, on which the in- 
structor can grade students with absolute 
justice, developing the traits that we who 
are to use them later on are so anxious to 
see in them. I would rather have a few 
days with a man in the laboratory or field 
than copies of any number or all of his ex- 
amination papers. 
He should be required to make full notes 
which may be graded both from an ento- 
mological and a literary point of view; he 
should make drawings, both free-hand and 
otherwise, dissections and descriptions. 
Besides an endless variety of rearings, 
breedings and interbreedings can be car- 
ried out. 
The aim throughout the entire university 
course should be to eliminate teaching or in- 
struction just as much as possible, and sub- 
stitute therefor direction, encouragement 
with insistence upon accuracy and com- 
pleteness. The only help given a student 
should be that which affords the greatest 
aid in enabling him to help himself. Make 
him work and do it properly. You who 
are training entomologists are already do- 
ing altogether too much teaching. Fully 
one third of the energy of the university 
instruetor is being thrown away on account 
