82 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Collections. The special collecting and rearing of Cecidomyii- 

 dae by members of the office stafif, has resulted in very large addi- 

 tions to this group, which are particularly valuable because many 

 of the forms are represented by both sexes, and in not a few in- 

 stances by the larvae and the gall from which the insects were 

 reared. Other additions to the State collections have been large, 

 there being a total of over 10,000 pinned specimens. A number 

 of very desirable species have been obtained through exchange. 



The additions to the State collection during the past three or 

 four years have ranged from 10,000 to 15,000 pinned specimens, 

 all of which have to be properly labeled, assigned to their various 

 groups and eventually determined. There has been, since the pres- 

 ent entomologist took charge of this office, an approximately six- 

 fold increase in the size of the State collection. A large proportion 

 of the curatorial work in connection with arranging the collections 

 devolves upon the assistants, and it is a pleasure to state that 

 material progress has been made along this line. Assistant Ento- 

 mologist D. B. Young has, during the past year, given considerable 

 time to classifying the parasitic wasps, Ichneumonidae, and a por- 

 tion of the Braconidae and also Hymenoptera belonging to the 

 following groups : Pompilidae, Larridae, Bembecidae, Nyssonidae, 

 Philanthidae, Pemphredonidae and Crabronidae. He has also done 

 more or less incidental work with the Diptera. Assistant I. L. 

 Nixon determined and arranged a number of the solitary bees, 

 Andrenidae, assisted in arranging the Ichneumonidae and deter- 

 mined and arranged many of the Curculionidae. In addition he 

 went over the Hill collection, noticed below, repairing and arrang- 

 ing many of the specimens and is responsible for a portion of the 

 catalogue of this collection. 



The Hill collection, an exceptionally valuable addition to the 

 State collections, was received throueh the generosity of Erastus 

 D. Hill, Carrie J. Hill Van Vleck and William W. Hill, heirs of the 

 late William W. Hill, who desired that their father's work should 

 be maintained as a permanent memorial of his labors in entomology. 

 This collection consists of some 10,000 SDecimens, representing ap- 

 proximately .'^.soo species and is in excellent condition. It contains 

 a large number of native snecies as well as representatives from 

 Europe, Asia and Africa. The catalogue of the species is included 

 as an appendix to the Entomologist's report. 



