ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 27 



Entomological Literature. 



The President's addresses have usually presented a brief review of the entomological 

 literature of the year. That duty will be discharged this time by Dr. Bethune. I have 

 just a word in reference to two publications that have recently come to these rooms — one, 

 a report of the Gypsy Moth Commission prepared by Drs. Forbush and Fernald, — a 

 volume of over 600 interesting pages, devoted to one injurious insect. I refer to this to 

 show what labor may be involved in studying and combatting even one insect. The 

 labors of the Massachusetts entomologists in controlling the spread of the gypsy moth are 

 a monument to the value of economic entomology. 



The other publication to which I refer is a bulletin called " Practical Ento- 

 mology " by Messrs. Hopkins and R-umsey of the West Virginia Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station. It is a veritable multum in parvo and although it contains only about 

 80 pages it keys and classifies the insects injurious to farm and garden crops in a very 

 unique manner. The most inexpert farmer or gardener is led directly to a pretty certain 

 identification of his insect foes and the approved remedies are briefly indicated. I wrote 

 a letter to the authors complimenting them upon their plan of presenting practical 

 entomology to the agriculturist. Director Myers acknowledged the letter and stated that 

 it is their intention to continue this line of practical instruction to the horticultural and 

 other interests and probably finally to publish the work in book form. 



Teaching Natural History in Schools. 



On every occasion that has offered the opportunity, I have put in a plea for such 

 modification of our school curriculum of studies as would provide for the education of the 

 observing faculties of our children. Training to observe facts, and to relate causes and 

 effects not only affords good mental discipline but is of the highest practical value. We 

 must all to a greater or less extent be experimenters throughout our active lives ; hence 

 skill in observing, comparing, relating and judging is necessary to success. Properly 

 conducted nature-study is therefore of very great value. For the purposes of such study 

 local geography, and the phenomena of weather, plant and insect life, furnish the very 

 best material. 



The flower and the insect appeal powerfully to the child's interest and while in 

 botany and entomology there are many problems that the greatest observers and thinkers 

 have not answered, yet there are others that even the little kindergartners find a 

 pleasure in solving when the proper method is pursued. At teachers' meetings and at 

 the Central Farmers' Institute I have outlined a course of study pointing out what might 

 be attempted, especially for the benefit of farmers' children in entomology, etc., in each 

 grade. A few years ago Prof. Wm. Saunders read papers here entitled " Entomology for 

 Beginners." He treated in a popular way the life history of the cabbage butterfly, the 

 leopard moth, tihe polyphemus, the satellite sphinx, the red humped apple-tree caterpillar 

 and the eyed elater. 



We need such papers as those — modified so as to treat in an experimental manner 

 the life history of a half-dozen common typical insects — containing practical suggestions on 

 observing their habits, capturing, caging, feeding, and preserving them. The paper 

 might be issued by this Society as a bulletin. The teacher would find additional 

 assistance in sush works as Prof. Panton's " Insect Foes " and Packard's Entomology for 

 Beginners. Besides the educational value and pleasure to the children of such study 

 consider what important practical bearing it would have. Such mistakes as I knew a 

 gardener to make would not then occur. He killed the tomato sphinx larvae by stamp- 

 ing on them, but those bearing the coccoons of its parasitic ichneumon he carried to the 

 hou^e to be immersed in boiling water to kill the eggs as he thought. Think of it, 

 ignorantly scalding his best helpers ! 



