﻿2 2 FIELD AND FOREST. 



It has long been a favorite idea of ours to arrange such a collection, 

 as it has always seemed that it would prove doubly interesting to the 

 masses of the people who know little, and care less of the study of en- 

 tomology. That there is little interest felt in the subject by the masses 

 is conceded by all, and it is only since the subject of economic ento- 

 mology has been agitated and kept before the people by our enterpris- 

 ing State and Official entomologists that it has begun to gain 

 ground. Dry descriptions of shape, form and color, and long scien- 

 tific terms are not supposed to prove very attractive to persons that 

 have no particular desire to learn about the insects of our country, but 

 when we go into the field, and trace these same insects through their 

 wonderful transformations, when" we "can show them in their varied 

 changes, and at the same time exhibit their fairy-like habitations, or 

 curious specimens of their architecture, from a dull, uninteresting 

 theme, it at once becomes one of absorbing interest. 



The question may be asked, cannot this be done as well in a scien- 

 tifically arranged collection ? We reply it should be done in every 

 collection, but to the farmer or the fruit-grower, or even the student, 

 before he has penetrated deeply into the mysteries of insect life, the sub- 

 ject comes home to him with more force, making more lasting impres- 

 sion if the destroyer and the destroyed are associated together. 



In visiting such a collection we will suppose the farmer, or fruit- 

 grower, or student, should desire to see the Colorado potato beetle. The 

 case devoted to the potato is opened and he sees a dried specimen of 

 potato leaf, fastened upon a card label, covered with little patches of 

 the golden yellow eggs of this- insect; next he observes the larvae, of 

 various sizes, either in alcohol, or prepared by "blowing;" then the 

 pupa is shown to him ; and to complete the story, the male and 

 female of the perfect insect are displayed, some in a state of rest, some 

 with wings expanded, and others in various positions to show marked 

 portions of the body. Then, if it were possible, a denuded potato 

 stalk should be shown to exhibit the peculiar "thoroughness" with 

 which they do their work, and lastly the army of parasites that help 

 to check their ravages, with samples of artificial contrivances in use 

 by man to accomplish the same end, would " bring up the rear " and 

 complete the history. Each card would be labelled with the scientific 

 and common names of the specimen, or any information that is neces- 

 sary to complete the history of the insects. After examining the Col- 



