REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I914 59 



Collections. A large series of insects was obtained by purchase 

 from the Kny-Scheerer Company of New York. These are for 

 the exhibit collection now being prepared and were selected pri- 

 marily because of their value in supplementing or elucidating the 

 material already at hand. The similarities obtaining among insects 

 in different sections of the world, the remarkable developments in 

 certain highly specialized forms, and the enormous size of some 

 species are well illustrated in these recent acquisitions. 



Through exchange with Mr C. W. Johnson of the Boston Museum 

 of Natural History, the Museum has acquired a series of 83 species 

 (listed elsewhere) of two-winged flies, mostly unrepresented in the 

 collections. These being determined by a well-known authority in 

 the group, constitute a notable addition to the State collections. 



The entomological division has received, through exchange, from 

 Prof. S. I. Kuwana of the Board of Plant Inspection, Imperial 

 Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, Tokio, Japan, specimens 

 of 30 species of Coccidae, a number of them representing species 

 described by Professor Kuwana and therefore particularly desirable. 



Accessions such as those mentioned above add greatly to the 

 value of the State collections, especially when the group is econ- 

 omically important, as is the case with the Coccidae or scale insects. 

 There have been numerous additions during recent years in this 

 family. There are now in the collections 181 species, 72 of which 

 have been mounted on microscopic slides, 4 being represented only 

 by such preparations. There are 41 species from Japan, 28 from 

 California, 7 from the Philippine Islands, and 9 types and 7 cotypes. 

 This assemblage is a most valuable aid in determining the scale 

 insects so frequently submitted for name. The Coccidae are so 

 readily transported with nursery stock that species of extralimital 

 forms are very desirable. Only last summer there was found on 

 Norway maple, a Japanese species which may prove of considerable 

 economic importance. 



Additions are constantly being made to the State collections, 

 especially of specimens representing the early stages and work of 

 various injurious forms, since biological material of this character 

 greatly facilitates identification of the different insects and is in- 

 dispensable in a well-prepared exhibit illustrating the life histories 

 of different species. The State collection now contains a large 

 amount of material which is invaluable because of the associated 

 data. Many microscopic preparations of smaller insects have been 

 made and incorporated in the collections as in earlier years. 



