February 14, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



221 



been Professor Westwood's own wish that 

 Riley should be his successor. 



He was greatly interested in the estab- 

 lishment of an insectary, in connection with 

 the Smithsonian Institution, where, in con- 

 nection with his museum work, he might 

 carry out still further his investigation 

 into the life history of members of his 

 favorite group. 



It was as an economic entomologist that 

 Eiley was most widely famed. In this field 

 he was eminent in two respects — in adminis- 

 tration, as well as in his direct contributions 

 to the science of practical entomology, and 

 to the art which is its outgrowth. 



As an administrator, he was associated 

 with three prominent undertakings : the 

 entomological work of the State of Missouri, 

 the United States Entomological Commis- 

 sion, and the establishment of the division 

 of entomology of the Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



He held the position of entomologist to 

 the State of Missouri for nearly ten years, 

 entering upon this work at the age of 

 twenty-three. Concerning what he accom- 

 plished and how he did it, I shall allow one 

 more competent than myself to speak : 



"In the spring of 1868 his writings upon injurious 

 insects brought about his appointment to the newly 

 created office of entomologist to the State o£ Missouri, 

 and from that time until 1877 he was engaged in the 

 investigation which thoroughly established his fame. 

 During that period he published nine annual reports, 

 which have become classics in entomological litera- 

 ture. At the time when his work was begun, the 

 science of practical entomology was in its infancy. 

 The writings of Harris and Fitch had resulted in the 

 tracing of the life-history of many of the principal in- 

 jurious insects, but the recommendations as to the 

 remedies were more or less crude, many important 

 points were left uninvestigated, even with the com- 

 monest crop enemies, and a few entirely erroneous 

 conclusions had been reached. Beyond the work of 

 these two men, practically nothing had been done ex- 

 cept the first report of Benjamin D. Walsh, which had 

 just appeared. 



"Looking back over Professor Riley's work during 

 these years, one cannot help being amazed at its, ex- 



tent and character, especially when one considers 

 that he worked single-handed, had many obstacles to 

 overcome, and great demands upon his time in the 

 way of correspondence, lectures and addresses. Every 

 insect which he took up (and he published upon an 

 'immense number, including all that were then of 

 great importance) was treated from a standpoint of 

 absolute originality. The statements were based 

 upon actual field observation, and the remedies pro- 

 posed were the results of experiment or deductions 

 from a perfect knowledge of the insects' habits and 

 life history. In fact, it is no exaggeration to say that 

 the modern science of economic entomology is based 

 upon and dates from the publication of these reports. 



"The original edition of these reports has long 

 since been exhausted, but they are still continually 

 sought for and command high prices. They are re- 

 plete with the results of original research, and their 

 illustrations created an epoch in the science no less 

 than their text. The reports of the State Board o£ 

 Agriculture containing them have long been sought 

 by book dealers, who detach the entomological por- 

 tions and sell the rest to junk dealers. 



" Of these Missouri reports the late Charles Darwin 

 wrote that they contained a vast number of facts and 

 generalizations valuable to him, and that he was 

 struck with admiration at the author's powers of ob- 

 servation. ' '* 



The United States Entomological Com- 

 mission was in existence for five years, 

 Eiley having having been its chief from the 

 beginning. 



" We all remember," said the Pacific Rural 

 Press in 1887, "the sad experiences which 

 our Western States and Territories passed 

 through from 1873 to 1877, from locust or 

 grasshopper ravages, which resulted in des- 

 titution and precipitated a financial crisis. 

 These ravages seriously affected the western 

 portion of his own State, and Prof. Riley 

 took hold of the problem with that origi- 

 nality and vigor which have characterized 

 all of his work. His last three reports to 

 the State contain the first positive and ac- 

 curate knowledge on the subject that has 

 been published. But he early saw that the 

 subject was one of National importance, 

 and could not be fully dealt with by work 



* L. 0. Howard, A Distinguished Entomologist, Tlie 

 Farmers' Magazine, London, I., 33, F. 



