48 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



establishing a kind of bond of union — he might say a kind of freemasonry— 

 between them. Accordingly they made the study of insects the object of 

 their Society. They admitted the comprehensiveness of their pretentions, 

 and when they meet together it was found that most members had a special 

 interest in some particular group, and in this became specialists, as, for in- 

 stance, they had lepidopterists, coleopterists, &c. Fortunately, from an 

 experience extending over fourteen years, they still claimed very great 

 enjoyment in associating together, and found, in the discussion of matters 

 connected with insect life alone, full employment for the hour or two 

 monthly at their disposal, which in other societies were devoted to more 

 general natural history. With the exception of a few months in the 

 summer seasons, they had met regularly once a month. At most of their 

 meetings original papers or essays on entomology had been read and dis- 

 cussed. A list of these papers, numbering 134, was printed in their last 

 annual report, and over fifty of these were considered of sufficient import- 

 ance to merit publication in their periodicals and other literature. Any 

 surplus income had been devoted to the purchase of books on entomology, 

 and they were gradually acquiring a valuable library. They had from time 

 to time made known, and would now through the public press repeat, 

 their wilhugness to give all the information in their power to agricul- 

 turists and others who suffered from the attacks of injurious insects, 

 pointing out the best means of avoiding or remedying the same. In 

 several instances they had been able to give most valuable assistance. In 

 the future he proposed that, in addition to a complete insect fauna of their 

 two counties, they undertook the investigation as far as possible of the life- 

 history of each individual, ascertaining whether it was beneficial or 

 injurious, so as to encourage its preservation or extirpation. They should 

 in this set a noble example to other entomological societies, and let them 

 hope that the day was not far distant when they should have such associa- 

 tions in each county. He also proposed that they form typical collections 

 of all orders of insects, which would be valuable as instruction for their 

 younger members. One of their hon. meml)ers, Mr. James Fletcher, en- 

 tomologist and botanist of the experimental farms, Canada, had kindly for- 

 warded for their acceptance reports of their Proceedings, 1887, 1888, and 

 1889, together with other printed interesting entomological matter. In 

 these reports were published most elaborate observations on injurious 

 insects, similar to those of Miss Ormerod and Mr. Whitehead in their own 

 country, with the best means of remedying injurious attacks. Depend 

 upon it, the work of societies like their own would be more and more the 

 study of economic entomology. It had only been within the last decade or 

 so that the importance of this had been prominent. Now it was recognised 

 all over the world. With the exception, however, of Miss Ormerod's 

 excellent work in their own country, the importance of these investiga- 

 tions were almost confined to America, but were now acknowledged in 

 Belgium, Germany, France, Russia, Australia, and other countries. Let 

 them, then, undertake economic entomology, modestly confining their observa- 

 tions to their own counties ; but, having as it were circumscribed their 

 work, let them hope it might be the more efficiently performed, and that 

 their example might be followed by entomologists in other counties or dis- 

 tricts, until the whole of the country was systematically embraced. The 

 officers elected for the year were : — Mr. S. J. Capper, President ; the Rev. 

 H. H, Higgins, Vice-President: and Mr. F. N. Pierce, Hon. Secretary. 



