﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  337 
  

  

  guided 
  and 
  formed 
  into 
  proper 
  habits 
  of 
  observation, 
  thought 
  and 
  expres- 
  

   sion. 
  To 
  these 
  ends, 
  I 
  believe 
  entomological 
  study 
  to 
  offer 
  better 
  

   discipline 
  than 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  mathematics 
  or 
  the 
  classics 
  to 
  which 
  so 
  much 
  

   time 
  is 
  devoted 
  and 
  far 
  beyond 
  what 
  may, 
  by 
  any 
  possibihty, 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  

   majority 
  of 
  students, 
  be 
  of 
  any 
  material 
  practical 
  importance. 
  

  

  But 
  why 
  may 
  this 
  be 
  accomplished 
  through 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  

   world, 
  better 
  than 
  by 
  some 
  other 
  branch 
  of 
  natural 
  history 
  ? 
  We 
  answer 
  : 
  

   because 
  of 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  objects 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  time 
  may 
  be 
  

   brought 
  together 
  for 
  study 
  — 
  the 
  insect 
  world 
  presenting, 
  as 
  it 
  does, 
  by 
  

   far 
  a 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  than 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  classes 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  

   kingdom 
  combined. 
  With 
  this 
  almost 
  boundless 
  number 
  of 
  species, 
  it 
  

   follows 
  that 
  there 
  must 
  often 
  be 
  but 
  minute 
  differences 
  between 
  them, 
  not 
  

   perceptible 
  but 
  through 
  careful 
  comparison, 
  and 
  often 
  demanding 
  the 
  

   microscope 
  for 
  their 
  detection. 
  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  that 
  any 
  one 
  who 
  has 
  

   made 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  insects 
  of 
  considerable 
  size 
  — 
  separated 
  them 
  in 
  

   their 
  usually 
  accepted 
  seven 
  orders, 
  named 
  such 
  as 
  he 
  has 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  

   with 
  the 
  literature 
  at 
  his 
  command 
  or 
  by 
  comparison 
  with 
  other 
  scientific 
  

   collections, 
  and 
  arranged 
  them 
  systematically 
  in 
  proper 
  cases, 
  in 
  their 
  

   families, 
  genera, 
  species, 
  and 
  varieties 
  — 
  could 
  have 
  done 
  this 
  without 
  

   having 
  greatly 
  strengthened 
  his 
  faculties 
  of 
  observation, 
  comparison, 
  dis- 
  

   crimination, 
  memory, 
  and 
  having 
  acquired 
  habits 
  of 
  study, 
  industry, 
  

   delicate 
  manipulation, 
  order, 
  neatness, 
  precision, 
  and 
  the 
  like, 
  which 
  shall 
  

   serve 
  him 
  in 
  whatever 
  position 
  in 
  life 
  he 
  may 
  be 
  placed, 
  and 
  cling 
  to 
  him 
  

   to 
  his 
  life's 
  end. 
  

  

  II. 
  The 
  Facilities 
  for 
  Entomological 
  Study. 
  

  

  The 
  entomologist, 
  if 
  unable 
  to 
  search 
  for 
  his 
  material 
  — 
  we 
  will 
  not 
  

   say, 
  if 
  not 
  caring 
  to 
  seek 
  it, 
  for 
  a 
  lazy 
  naturalist 
  v/ould 
  be 
  an 
  anomaly 
  — 
  

   may 
  have 
  abundant 
  material 
  come 
  to 
  him 
  unsought. 
  As 
  he 
  walks 
  the 
  

   street, 
  " 
  the 
  shard-borne 
  beetle 
  with 
  its 
  drowsy 
  hum 
  " 
  flies 
  in 
  his 
  face 
  or 
  

   alights 
  upon 
  his 
  clothing 
  ; 
  the 
  moth 
  sits 
  at 
  rest 
  upon 
  a 
  tree-trunk 
  or 
  fence- 
  

   paling 
  as 
  if 
  asking 
  for 
  admiration 
  and 
  capture 
  ; 
  the 
  caterpillar 
  drops 
  upon 
  

   him 
  by 
  its 
  silken 
  thread 
  from 
  an 
  overhanging 
  branch, 
  or 
  exposes 
  itself 
  as 
  

   it 
  travels 
  over 
  the 
  sidewalk, 
  to 
  his 
  meditative 
  downcast 
  gaze. 
  Rapt 
  in 
  

   study 
  in 
  the 
  seclusion 
  of 
  his 
  room, 
  the 
  sudden 
  thrust 
  of 
  the 
  sharp 
  lancet 
  

   of 
  Stomoxys 
  calcUrans^ 
  causes 
  its 
  capture 
  and 
  invites 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  

   curious 
  projecting 
  blood-sucking 
  apparatus 
  which, 
  without 
  critical 
  obser- 
  

   vation, 
  seems 
  the 
  only 
  difference 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  harmless 
  common 
  

   house-fly 
  ; 
  or, 
  curiously 
  plumed 
  creatures 
  of 
  delicate 
  forms 
  and 
  colors, 
  

   attracted 
  by 
  the 
  light 
  upon 
  his 
  study-table, 
  will 
  flit 
  over 
  his 
  paper 
  to 
  mar 
  

   23 
  

  

  