10 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Albany, Troy and presumably other near-by localities are making 

 extensive use of our exhibit collections in connection with the 

 regular school work. It is the aim of the Department to have a 

 representative collection of the species occurring in the State, though 

 the assembling of such means the work of years. 



The nearly completed monograph on the gall midges shows that 

 the State collections in this family will far exceed anything that 

 can be assembled elsewhere for some years to come. It will always 

 be exceptionally valuable because of the very large series of generic 

 types or cotypes. Assistant State Entomologist Young has identi- 

 fied and arranged the Conopidae, besides doing much miscellaneous 

 work in classifying insects collected during the year and identifying 

 species sent in for name. A number of Hemiptera have been very 

 kindly determined by our well known authority in this group, Mr 

 E. P. Van Duzee of Buffalo. Miss Hartman has also assisted in 

 the arrangement of the collection and has reared and spread a 

 number of specimens. 



The value of the exhibit collections will be greatly enhanced 

 when the fine series of plant groups, designed for the exhibition 

 of insects in their natural environment in the new Educational 

 Building, has been completed. The wax work for four of these 

 groups has been delivered and it is planned to complete the 

 remainder next year. Several excellent models representing injur- 

 ious insects are now on exhibition and more should be secured, 

 preferably made to order, since only a few can be purchased in the 

 market, while no one has attempted to prepare models of many 

 forms which could be exhibited in this manner to very great 

 advantage. 



Nursery inspection. There has been close cooperation with 

 this phase of the work conducted by the State Department of Agri- 

 culture. Numerous specimens of both native and foreign insects 

 have been submitted to this office for name, and the entomologist 

 frequently consulted in regard to various problems. This work, 

 while consuming much time and often necessitating identifications 

 of minute forms, like scale insects or the recognition of species by 

 fragments or the comparatively unknown early stages, is very 

 important, since the treatment of large shipments must depend in 

 great measure upon our findings. 



Office matters. The general work of the office has progressed 

 in a satisfactory manner, the assistant State entomologist being in 

 charge of the office and responsible for the correspondence and 



