1899] ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



lished during this period, by Dr. Riley, are classics in American literature of applied 

 entomology. In 1880, Dr. J. A. Lintner was appointed State Entomologist of New York, 

 in place of Dr. Asa Fitch, resigned, and held the office until his death in 1898. While 

 Dr. Lintner could hardly be termed an investigator, his series of carefully compiled 

 reports, relating to the insects to which his attention had been called from time to time 3 

 afford a veritable encyclopedia of entomological information, for which more than one 

 worker has felt devoutly thankful. In 1869, Dr. A. S. Packard, who had previously 

 sent out some excellent entomological literature, ipsued his " Guide to the Study of In- 

 sects," the first work of its nature to be issued in America. In 1876, came his big folio 

 volume, " A Monoeraph of the Geometrid Moths," from the United States Geological 

 Survey, and lately we have had his "Bombycine Moths" and his "Textbook on Ento- 

 mology," both of which are masterpieces. In 1877, the United States Entomological 

 Commission was organized by an act of Congress, and placed under the authority of the 

 Secretary of the Interior, afterwards being transferred to the Agricultural Department, 

 its members comprising Drs. C. V. Riley, A. S. Packard and Gyrus Thomas. The object 

 in creating this commission was to study the Rocky Mountain locust, but the members 

 did not confine their investigations to these, by any means, and, as a result, we have 

 several bulletins and five octavo reports, the latter containing over 3,200 pages, with 

 165 full page plates and a great number of smaller illustrations, and 10 large maps. The 

 fifth and last volume was prepared by Dr. Packard, and relates to forest insects exclus- 

 ively. In 1878 Dr. Riley was appointed United States Entomologist, but held the posi- 

 tion for only one year, when he resigned, having in the meantime issued one report. The 

 following year, Prof. J. H. Comstock was appointed to the office which he held three 

 years, issuing two valuable reports and a special report on cotton insects. Since that time 

 Prof. Comstock has given us some most excellent publications. His work on the Coccidse 

 is known universally among specialists of that group, while his later works " Insect Life " 

 and " Manual for the Study of Insects," have been of great value to students and ama- 

 teurs. In 1881, Dr. Riley was a second time called to the office of United States Ento- 

 mologist, serving in that capacity until 1894, organizing a corps of original investigators, 

 the like of which had not before been known in the history of the science. During these 

 years the annual reports, bulletins and the serial " Insect Life " almost constitute in 

 themselves an entomological library. The influence and zest that was thus given to the 

 study of the applied science, and especially in the case of Experiment Station entomo- 

 logists, can hardly be calculated. On the death of Dr. Riley the office of United States 

 Entomologist very properly and deservedly fell to his long time first assistant, Dr. L. O, 

 Howard, who has not only held the office creditably, but in some respects improved upon 

 his predecessor. At the time of his death Dr. Riley was Honorary Curator of the De- 

 partment of Insects, in the National Museum of Washington. Dr. Howard also succeeded 

 his superior here, as in the Division of Entomology, but instead of a single aid, as under 

 Dr. Riley, there is now a corps of conscientious, hard-working specialists, whose labors 

 cannot prove other than creditable to American entomology. 



In 1888 came the establishment of Experiment Stations, under the Hatch Act, and 

 the office of Station Entomologist has been created in the majority of these institutions, 

 which office is similar to that of State Entomologist, except that, in many cases, the 

 entomologist is called upon to assume the duties of other departments of science, like 

 botany or horticulture, or else devote a larger proportion of his energies to teaching in 

 the Agricultural Colleges. This condition of entomological interests, in the Stations, has 

 necessitated much hurried compilation and attempts towards popularization of old and 

 well-known facts, so that the entomological bulletins of Experiment Stations do not stand 

 as high in the estimation of scientific men as they otherwise would. Nevertheless, this 

 is hardly the fault of the entomologists, but in the management of these institutions 

 themselves, and besides, when we come to sift out the chaff, there remains much in the 

 results of their work that is new and valuable. The workers themselves are too numer- 

 ous for me to mention here. Theirs is current history, and their works will speak more 

 for them than any words of mine possibly could. In Canada, Dr. Saunders's " Insects 

 Injurious to Fruits," issued in 1883, with a second edition in 1892, has been a wonderful 



