136 REID NATURAL HISTORY AND THE FISHERIES. 



waste and leakage, evaporation being supplied by fresh water, 

 because a proper proportion of marine plants would purify the 

 water for the respiration of the fishes. No high temperature is 

 necessary, hence the cost for heating would be small. The cost of 

 attendance also would be limited, and did specimens die, it would 

 be very easy to replace them. 



With this as an initiative, it would not be long before natural 

 history would be studied and understood, and then in addition to 

 the culture of our people, would we find the economic advantage, 

 for knowledge will always be of practical service. I will give an 

 illustration : I was invited some years ago by a friend of mine, 

 Mr. S in London, Ontario, to pay him a visit, and he intro- 

 duced me to a room filled with little boxes. On close examination 

 I found thousands of insects, of every variety, all alive and in 

 different stages of growth. I could not but admire the extent of 

 his collection, and his knowledge of their habits, but said I, Mr. 



S , " apart from the pure scientific aspect of this subject, of 



what practical use is the study of the vast majority of these species." 

 He replied that perhaps no subject of natural history was of more 

 service to man than this science of Entomology, and in going over 

 his collection, he, in pointing out the life history showed that almost 

 every one deserved careful attention. This species devoured the 

 cabbage plant — another the potato — another wheat — and so on until 

 there was very vividly brought to my recollection the more than half 

 forgotten fact, that almost every vegetable has a form of animal life 

 that preys on it, and in many cases brings famine or great want on 

 large sections of peoples. That all had natural enemies which cur- 

 tailed their numbers, but that this required great time and study to 

 ferret out. 



He pointed out many species about which enough was known to 

 control or prevent their ravages, but yet a large number of species 

 remained whose history needed to be worked up. He spoke of the 

 Colorado potato bug, that had not then reached Canada, but which 

 advent was expected, and the Entomological Society were busy 

 searching into its life history, so as to be able to check its hitherto 

 unobstructed career, and with what success we now can judge. 



