39- NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



was the zone of the very abundant yellow water lilies. Next came 

 a very broad zone of sphagnum, floating at its outer edge over 

 water 5 feet or more in depth, with here and there a detached and float- 

 ing island. This zone was fairly sprinkled over with pitcher plants, S a r- 

 racenia purp urea Linn., and with a succession of pretty orchids, 

 Limodorum tuberosum L., Arethusa bulbosa Linn., 

 Habenaria sp?, while a few clumps of lambkill and tufts of cotton 

 grass were scattered about. Back of the sphagnum was a thin fringe of 

 pale green tamaracks, while dark hemlocks of the forest stood close be- 

 hind, and in the pools in their shadows nestled beds of native callas. 

 Numerous fine dragon flies and a few large caddis flies and the handsome 

 larva of some, to me unknown, diving beetle were the principal insects 

 observed there. 



Objects and results 



This station, being located in the midst of a region whose aquatic 

 insect fauna had scarcely been studied at all, off"ered a wide choice of 

 field operations. Being established solely for the study of aquatic insects, 

 and m this respect unique among field stations, it lacked the advantage 

 accruing from the simultaneous study of other forms of aquatic life, but 

 offered opportunity for concentration on some of the problems of aquatic 

 entomology. The following objects were had in mind, though it was 

 realized from the beginning that little would be done with some of them> 

 and that any one of them might have been made to occupy our time 

 profitably: i) to increase the state museum collections; 2) to increase 

 our knowledge of the aquatic insect fauna of the Adirondack region ; 3) 

 to study the place of aquatic insects in natural societies; 4) to study the 

 reproductive capacity of insects; 5) to study the habits of aquatic insects; 



6) to study the food relations of insects, fishes and other aquatic animals; 



7) to study the life histories of aquatic insects. 



Additions to the state museum. Our collections of specimens 

 were so numerous that the attempt made at first to keep some record of 

 the number and kind of specimens was early abandoned. ' When hun- 

 dreds and even thousands of specimens were being collected every day, 

 the enumeration of them would consume time that was greatly needed for 

 matters of more importance. Miscellaneous collections were made by 

 sweeping vegetation with a net, and by trap lanterns set at night when 

 the rain ceased long enough to permit these operations, and the material 

 thus obtained v/as sent while fresh to Albany to be prepared there for the 

 cabinet. On warm, still, rainiess nights the lanterns attracted from the 

 surrounding woods a very large number and variety of moths, which have 

 been preserved, but not studied as yet. 



