﻿336 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  A 
  PLEA 
  FOR 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  STUDY. 
  

  

  [Read 
  before 
  the 
  Agassiz 
  Association 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Normal 
  College, 
  

   Albany, 
  May 
  t8, 
  1894.] 
  

  

  The 
  Association 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  and 
  privilege 
  of 
  addressing^. 
  

   I 
  have 
  the 
  right 
  to 
  believe, 
  from 
  its 
  connection 
  with 
  an 
  institution 
  which, 
  

   in 
  the 
  annals 
  of 
  education, 
  has 
  won 
  an 
  enviable 
  reputation 
  for 
  the 
  care- 
  

   ful, 
  systematic 
  and 
  thorough 
  training 
  it 
  aims 
  to 
  give 
  to 
  all 
  its 
  pupils 
  — 
  is 
  

   not 
  only 
  desirous 
  of 
  promoting 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  its 
  ability 
  investigations 
  

   in 
  various 
  departments 
  of 
  Natural 
  History, 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  able 
  to 
  do 
  

   excellent 
  work 
  and 
  render 
  good 
  service 
  toward 
  this 
  desired 
  end. 
  

  

  I 
  therefore 
  esteem 
  it 
  a 
  privilege 
  to 
  appear 
  before 
  you 
  to-day, 
  and 
  ask 
  

   your 
  earnest 
  co-operation 
  in 
  that 
  department 
  of 
  study 
  in 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  

   specially 
  interested, 
  and 
  to 
  which 
  so 
  large 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  my 
  life 
  has 
  been 
  

   devoted. 
  I 
  appreciate, 
  to 
  some 
  degree 
  at 
  least, 
  the 
  almost 
  infinite 
  extent 
  

   and 
  variety 
  of 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  Nature. 
  On 
  every 
  hand 
  and 
  in 
  every 
  

   direction, 
  objects 
  of 
  interest 
  invite 
  our 
  observation 
  and 
  study. 
  Exclud- 
  

   ing 
  what 
  Hes 
  beyond 
  the 
  sphere 
  upon 
  which 
  we 
  dwell 
  — 
  there 
  are 
  the 
  

   rocks 
  to 
  which 
  we 
  owe 
  our 
  basis 
  for 
  study, 
  and 
  their 
  contained 
  fossils, 
  

   telling 
  of 
  the 
  forms 
  that 
  peopled 
  this 
  globe 
  eons 
  of 
  ages 
  ago 
  ; 
  the 
  vegetable 
  

   world 
  instinct 
  vAth 
  life 
  and 
  beauty 
  and 
  wonderful 
  processes 
  of 
  growth 
  

   and 
  development, 
  and 
  crowned 
  with 
  the 
  dignity 
  of 
  being 
  the 
  agency 
  

   through 
  which 
  alone, 
  directly 
  or 
  indirectly, 
  existence 
  is 
  possible 
  for 
  each 
  

   and 
  every 
  mammal, 
  bird, 
  reptile, 
  fish, 
  insect, 
  nayriapod, 
  crustacean, 
  worm, 
  

   mollusc, 
  protozoan 
  — 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  myriad 
  living 
  forms 
  that 
  people 
  our 
  

   globe. 
  

  

  In 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  classes 
  of 
  the 
  mineral, 
  vegetable 
  and 
  animal 
  

   kingdoms, 
  there 
  is 
  abundant 
  work 
  for 
  the 
  earnest 
  student. 
  There 
  are 
  

   collections 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  ; 
  elements, 
  form 
  and 
  structure 
  to 
  be 
  studied 
  ; 
  

   habits 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  ; 
  preparations 
  for 
  study 
  and 
  for 
  preservation 
  ; 
  com- 
  

   parisons 
  to 
  be 
  instituted, 
  forms 
  new 
  to 
  science 
  to 
  be 
  detected 
  and 
  illus- 
  

   trated; 
  descriptions 
  to 
  be 
  drawn 
  and 
  published, 
  and 
  name 
  and 
  syste- 
  

   matic 
  place 
  to 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  each 
  and 
  every 
  one. 
  

  

  Why, 
  then, 
  should 
  I 
  make 
  a 
  special 
  plea 
  for 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  Insect 
  

   world 
  ? 
  I 
  would 
  not 
  presume 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  unless 
  I 
  felt 
  that 
  I 
  could 
  give 
  

   you 
  sufficient 
  reasons 
  for 
  making 
  the 
  claim; 
  of 
  these, 
  I 
  offer, 
  

  

  I. 
  The 
  Mental 
  Discipline 
  that 
  the 
  Study 
  Affords. 
  

   This 
  should 
  especially 
  commend 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  young 
  student, 
  where 
  the 
  

   intellectual 
  faculties 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  developed 
  and 
  strengthened, 
  and 
  the 
  mind 
  

  

  