﻿FOURTH 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  I907 
  8l 
  

  

  two 
  gentlemen 
  relate 
  to 
  a 
  group 
  which 
  is 
  of 
  great 
  economic 
  import- 
  

   ance 
  owing 
  to 
  its 
  value 
  as 
  fish 
  food. 
  

  

  Gall 
  midges. 
  This 
  group 
  comprises 
  among 
  its 
  members, 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  insects 
  of 
  prime 
  economic 
  importance, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Hessian 
  fly, 
  

   the 
  wheat 
  midge, 
  pear 
  midge 
  and 
  some 
  other 
  destructive 
  forms. 
  

   Furthermore, 
  there 
  is 
  every 
  probability 
  that 
  some 
  other 
  of 
  our 
  

   native 
  species 
  may 
  become 
  destructive 
  in 
  the 
  near 
  future. 
  Our 
  

   investigations 
  have 
  already 
  disclosed 
  hitherto 
  unsuspected 
  injuries 
  

   by 
  members 
  of 
  this 
  group. 
  We 
  have 
  succeeded 
  in 
  identifying 
  

   several 
  European 
  forms 
  not 
  previously 
  known 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  this 
  

   country. 
  During 
  the 
  season 
  we 
  succeeded 
  in 
  rearing 
  over 
  ioo 
  

   species, 
  a 
  considerable 
  number 
  of 
  them 
  proving 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  un- 
  

   described. 
  The 
  State 
  collections 
  in 
  this 
  group 
  represent 
  probably 
  

   over 
  600 
  species. 
  We 
  have 
  already 
  described 
  over 
  250 
  new 
  forms, 
  

   and 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  surprising 
  if, 
  after 
  working 
  over 
  the 
  material, 
  

   there 
  were 
  nearly 
  as 
  many 
  more 
  to 
  characterize 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  those 
  

   previously 
  described 
  by 
  other 
  workers. 
  The 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  

   American 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  a 
  chaotic 
  state, 
  making 
  it 
  practically 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  identify 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  forms. 
  Our 
  work, 
  now 
  well 
  

   in 
  hand, 
  will 
  revise 
  the 
  classification 
  of 
  this 
  group. 
  

  

  The 
  rearing 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  requires 
  much 
  time 
  and 
  attention, 
  

   and 
  the 
  success 
  achieved 
  last 
  season 
  was 
  due 
  very 
  largely 
  to 
  the 
  

   work 
  of 
  Assistant 
  Entomologist 
  D. 
  B. 
  Young. 
  The 
  collecting 
  of 
  

   the 
  insects 
  and 
  the 
  galls 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  also 
  requires 
  considerable 
  time, 
  

   and 
  much 
  of 
  this 
  work 
  has 
  been 
  attended 
  to 
  by 
  assistant 
  I. 
  L. 
  Nixon. 
  

   Mr 
  J. 
  R. 
  Gillett 
  was 
  engaged 
  throughout 
  the 
  summer 
  in 
  making 
  

   microscopic 
  mounts 
  of 
  these 
  insects, 
  some 
  2000 
  slides 
  being 
  pre- 
  

   pared. 
  

  

  Publications. 
  Numerous 
  economic 
  articles 
  have 
  been 
  con- 
  

   tributed 
  by 
  the 
  Entomologist 
  to 
  the 
  agricultural 
  and 
  local 
  press. 
  

   The 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  new 
  species 
  of 
  Cecidomyiidae 
  taken 
  in 
  1907 
  

   made 
  it 
  advisable 
  to 
  issue 
  preliminary 
  descriptions 
  of 
  some, 
  and 
  a 
  

   paper 
  issued 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  report, 
  entitled 
  " 
  New 
  Species 
  of 
  

   Cecidomyiidae," 
  published 
  January 
  30, 
  characterizes 
  179 
  new 
  

   species. 
  The 
  second 
  volume 
  of 
  Insects 
  Affecting 
  Park 
  and 
  Wood- 
  

   land 
  Trees, 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  Museum 
  memoir 
  8, 
  appeared 
  February 
  

   25 
  and 
  has 
  repeatedly 
  proved 
  its 
  usefulness 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  season. 
  

   The 
  demand 
  for 
  information 
  respecting 
  shade 
  tree 
  pests 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  

   issuing 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  bulletin 
  on 
  the 
  white 
  marked 
  tussock 
  moth 
  and 
  

   elm 
  leaf 
  beetle, 
  Museum 
  bulletin 
  109, 
  which 
  appeared 
  May 
  10, 
  while 
  

   the 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  Entomologist, 
  owing 
  to 
  delays, 
  was 
  not 
  issued 
  till 
  

   July 
  16. 
  

  

  