REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST I912 II 



in such preparations, since the latter are permanent in character 

 and, in most of the species mounted, necessary for the identifica- 

 tion of the insect. 



The series of plant groups designed to serve as an embellishing 

 and instructive feature of the enlarged exhibit now in preparation 

 is practically completed. There has been special collecting for this 

 exhibit. 



The more ample facilities of the new quarters bring added res- 

 ponsibilities in the opportunity they offer of making the State col- 

 lection of insects, both ex:hibit and reference, thoroughly representa- 

 tive. The magnitude of such a task is appreciated by very few. 

 The Entomologist recently assembled, with the cooperation of recog- 

 nized authorities in various groups, the best obtainable figures as to 

 the number of American insects. The data is tabulated below. 



Hymenoptera 10 000 Orthoptera 950 



Coleoptera 11 255 Neuroptera and Pseudoneu- 



Diptera 9 100 roptera 2 000 



Siphonaptera 115 Thysanoptera 118 



Lepidoptera 6 622 Other small orders 500 



Hemiptera 3 328 



43 988 



A recent catalog of the insects of New Jersey, a state with a 

 considerably smaller area and lacking the climatic and other diversi- 

 ties of New York, lists over 10,000 species. It seems to us con- 

 servative to place the probable number of insect species existing in 

 this State at twice that figure. A thoroughly representative col- 

 lection of New York forms should therefore contain well toward 

 20,000 native species, and since each has at least four well-marked 

 stages, some 80,000 different forms. Many species and a great 

 number of the stages are unknown. There is ample to occupy a 

 well-equipped corps of entomologists for many years, not to men- 

 tion the much additional labor involved in assembling and main- 

 taining greatly enlarged entomological exhibits. 



Nursery inspection. The nursery inspection work conducted by 

 the State Department of Agriculture has resulted in the office being 

 requested to make numerous identifications and also recommenda- 

 tions in regard to the policy which should be pursued by the State. 

 Many of the specimens submitted for name were in poor condition, 

 and as they may represent any stage in insect development and fre- 

 quently originate in a foreign country, such determinations are 



