564 
of being misdirected. Not only does the 
student fail to profit by this, but it is detri- 
mental instead of beneficial. 
Just here I wish to interject an innova- 
tion which, if carried out, would mean a 
great deal, not only for the student him- 
self, but for the one into whose hands he 
will fall after graduation. 
Let the student spend all or as much as 
possible of his vacations in actual field 
work under competent entomologists. This 
work should count in credits for graduation 
and should be based upon efficiency and 
quality of work done. At present, he must 
report for duty at his own expense, often 
long distances away, which, with the lim- 
ited compensation he could command, 
would not be profitable. But if his work 
counted for credits in the university, he 
might well afford the expense involved. 
In his sophomore and junior years the 
student will require a knowledge of botany, 
sufficient to enable him to recognize plants 
and assign them to their proper family, or 
genera if common. Beyond this, an ento- 
mologist had better consult a botanist. He 
will need some knowledge of chemistry, 
geology, climatology, physics, comparative 
zoology, comparative anatomy, morphology 
and physiology. He must have some train- 
ing in histology. He need waste no time 
on higher mathematics. He can get a 
working knowledge of mensuration, should 
it become necessary to apply it. He is al- 
ready being trained in a science having no 
superior in developing exactness, acumen, 
and what a knowledge of higher mathe- 
matics does not always presuppose, good 
judgment. Incidentally, let him read 
Sherlock Holmes carefully and _ intelli- 
gently. 
A few years ago a university that could 
hardly be convicted of underestimating its 
own greatness, graduated a student in en- 
tomology. By dint of hard, practical work 
SCIENCE 
[N.S. Vou. XXXV.' No. 902 
outside during vacation, and in the labora- 
tory, he was fortunately better equipped in 
entomology than are most graduates; it 
was not so much a case of graduating first 
and completing his education afterwards. 
His trigonometry, however, proved almost 
too much for him and remained hovering 
over his head, like the raven of Poe, until 
the very last, and, even then came very 
nearly preventing his graduation. He is 
making good since leaving the university, 
and has succeeded in forgetting his trigo- 
nometry, which cost him so much in both 
time and energy, but for which he has no 
more use than he has for navigation; but 
is still handicapped for the training in his- 
tology for which, while in school, he had 
begged, but was prohibited from obtaining. 
In languages, classroom language may 
well end here, probably with the freshman 
year, but his training in the contact, ab- 
sorption, every-day-use kind, will never 
end. I might say here that the lazy or 
don’t-care fellow has probably found the 
work uncongenial and dropped out, also 
during the freshman year. All of the time 
continue to give laboratory work whenever 
possible, and outside work, too, if it can 
possibly be arranged. 
At the beginning of the senior year give 
your student one or more pieces of original 
work, no matter what so it involves and 
brings into action all that he has previously 
acquired; and include embryology, par- 
thenogenesis, polyembryony, or any others 
belonging to the most advanced entomolog- 
ical work being carried on elsewhere. 
Direct him, advise him, encourage him, but 
make him work out his own salvation and 
learn to take care of himself under any 
condition or situation. This sort of a man 
will need no petting or unusual advantages. 
He wants only a fair chance and a square 
deal. He will possess a certain species of 
solid independence that is quite the reverse 
