88 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



which is considered a most important natural enemy in controlling 

 the red spider on cotton, and a consultation has been held with 

 Prof. Henry Tryon of the " Prickly Pear (Traveling) Commis- 

 sion " respecting the introduction of certain gall midges into Queens- 

 land, in the expectation that they might become important agents 

 in practically freeing large areas from the introduced and obnox- 

 ious prickly pear. The Entomologist's report contains a detailed 

 account of a Cactus midge which may prove of great value in 

 Australia, though regarded as a pest under certain conditions in 

 this country. The rose midge, an important enemy of the rose 

 grower, has caused considerable apprehension in the vicinity of 

 Rochester on account of its injuries to young plants. 



Publications. A number of brief popular accounts regarding 

 such common pests as the house fly, apple tent caterpillar and 

 forest tent caterpillar have been widely circulated through the 

 press. The most important publications, aside from the report of 

 last year, are : The Gall Midge Fauna of Western North America ; 

 Studies in Itonididae ; and several papers describing new species of 

 gall midges. 



Removal. The moving of the collections and their establish- 

 ment in the new quarters in the Education Building involved a 

 large amount of work, which necessarily restricted activities along 

 other lines and must continue so to do until the insects are per- 

 manently rearranged. The removal was accomplished with practi- 

 cally no breakage or loss of either specimens or equipment and with 

 comparatively little hindrance to the regular office routine. 



Faunal studies. This phase of entomology has received some 

 attention almost from the establishment of the office and has an 

 important bearing upon practical work, since data of this character 

 make possible the fixing of boundaries beyond which there is little 

 probability of injurious species maintaining themselves in numbers. 

 Earlier unpublished studies have resulted in fixing approximate 

 boundaries for the various life zones in the State. It has been the 

 policy for some years to collect in representative areas whenever 

 opportunity offered and much valuable material has been secured 

 in this manner. Collections in the Adirondacks, begun by the late 

 Dr J. A. Lintner, have been continued. The past summer collections 

 were made in several Adirondack localities and at Wells. These 

 data are now being prepared for publication. 



Collections. A special effort has been made the past season to 

 secure specimens of the work and early stages of various injurious 

 forms, since biological material is a most important component of 

 economic collections and indispensable in elucidating the habits and 



