﻿342 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  {Aletia 
  argillacea), 
  annual 
  losses 
  to 
  the 
  cotton-crop 
  of 
  the 
  Southern 
  States 
  

   are 
  sustained, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  calculated, 
  of 
  thirty 
  millions 
  of 
  dollars. 
  

  

  From 
  careful 
  computations 
  based 
  upon 
  the 
  census 
  returns 
  of 
  agri- 
  

   cultural 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  the 
  startling 
  aggregate 
  is 
  presented 
  

   of 
  an 
  annual 
  loss 
  in 
  these 
  products 
  of 
  three 
  hundred 
  millions 
  of 
  dollars. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  proportion 
  of 
  this 
  loss 
  — 
  this 
  onerous 
  tax 
  upon 
  industry 
  — 
  

   need 
  not 
  be 
  sustained 
  — 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  exacted. 
  It 
  is 
  preventable 
  through 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  means 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  and 
  are 
  being 
  indicated 
  by 
  those 
  who 
  

   have 
  undertaken 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  methods 
  of 
  prevention 
  and 
  remedy. 
  In 
  

   consideration 
  of 
  the 
  progress 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   insects, 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  insecticides 
  and 
  of 
  mechanical 
  appliances 
  for 
  

   their 
  application 
  to 
  field 
  crops, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  orchards 
  and 
  gardens, 
  I 
  dare 
  

   to 
  assert 
  that 
  the 
  insect 
  does 
  not 
  exist, 
  the 
  injuries 
  from 
  which 
  may 
  not 
  

   be 
  materially 
  lessened 
  whenever 
  its 
  habits 
  and 
  life-history 
  have 
  become 
  

   fully 
  known. 
  

  

  The 
  need 
  of 
  the 
  studyJ;of 
  these 
  insect 
  depredations, 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  

   it, 
  and 
  the 
  absolute 
  necessity 
  thereof, 
  will 
  be 
  more 
  evident 
  when 
  we 
  con- 
  

   sider, 
  next 
  

  

  V. 
  The 
  Extent 
  of 
  the 
  Study. 
  

  

  A 
  comparative 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  ivorld, 
  as 
  contrasted 
  

   with 
  the 
  entire 
  animal 
  kingdom, 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  given 
  you. 
  It 
  may 
  

   enable 
  you 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  better 
  idea 
  of 
  its 
  extent, 
  to 
  state, 
  that 
  judging 
  from 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  now 
  named 
  and 
  described 
  — 
  about 
  330,000 
  (we 
  

   know 
  and 
  possess 
  in 
  our 
  collections 
  thousands 
  of 
  others 
  awaiting 
  study), 
  

   and 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  that 
  new 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  added 
  to 
  our 
  lists 
  within 
  

   the 
  last 
  half-century 
  — 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  an 
  extravagant 
  estimate, 
  if 
  for 
  the 
  

   present, 
  we 
  place 
  the 
  probable 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  existing 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  

   at 
  one 
  million. 
  Although 
  this 
  figure 
  is 
  largely 
  in 
  excess 
  of 
  those 
  made 
  

   by 
  other 
  entomologists, 
  I 
  believe 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  moderate 
  one, 
  in 
  considera- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Hmited 
  study 
  as 
  yet 
  given 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  orders, 
  and 
  the 
  still 
  

   unexplored 
  regions 
  of 
  the 
  globe 
  — 
  entire 
  continents 
  in 
  which 
  scientific 
  

   exploration 
  has 
  barely 
  commenced. 
  Its 
  reahzation 
  would 
  but 
  necessitate 
  

   less 
  than 
  the 
  trebling 
  of 
  the 
  at 
  present 
  known 
  species, 
  with 
  all 
  future 
  time 
  

   available' 
  for 
  the 
  work 
  ; 
  while 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  that 
  have 
  followed 
  my 
  

   boyhood, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  described 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  quifitupled. 
  

  

  From 
  a 
  scientific 
  point 
  of 
  view, 
  each 
  species 
  as 
  discovered 
  demands 
  

   description 
  that 
  will 
  give 
  it 
  positive 
  recognition, 
  and 
  assignment 
  to 
  its 
  

   proper 
  place 
  lU 
  classified 
  lists. 
  For 
  economic 
  purposes, 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  williequire 
  the 
  elaborate 
  study 
  that 
  shall 
  tell 
  us 
  all 
  that 
  we 
  need 
  

   to 
  know 
  of 
  them. 
  But 
  what 
  patience, 
  what 
  persistence, 
  what 
  an 
  amount 
  

   of 
  study 
  — 
  extending 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  over 
  several 
  years 
  — 
  is 
  often 
  needed 
  for 
  

   the 
  acquisition 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  life-history. 
  Each 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  stages 
  under 
  

  

  