PREFACE. VJI 



tunity of extending my studies on the Wasps offered itself when 

 the Smithsonian Institution was pleased to commission me to 

 establish the. fauna of the Ilymenoptera of North America. I 

 was already in possession of numerous materials for the drawing 

 up of such a work. I had brought from that continent considerable 

 collections, the fruits of my explorations in West India, Mexico, 

 and the United States. I had likewise acquired collections of 

 Ilymenoptera in my passage through this latter country, of Mr. 

 Rath von (Lancaster, Pa.), Mr. Fuch (Tennessee), and others. 

 Prof. Haldemann kindly made me a present of the remnants of 

 his splendid collection, unfortunately almost destroyed. To these 

 materials which I had got together as I went along, there came 

 to be added later, the collections which the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion forwarded me from different regions of the United States. 1 

 But I owe a special mention to my friend Mr. Edw. Norton, of 

 Farmington, Connecticut, an excellent entomologist, who afforded 

 me the most valuable assistance for the work to which these 

 lines serve as an introduction, and who with extreme kind- 

 ness offered to undertake the translation of this volume himself. 

 Finally, I have, moreover, received some parcels of insects direct 

 from divers friends, especially from Tennessee, from Engineur de 

 Freudenreich Falconnet, Engineer on the Nashville Railroad, 

 and since then Major in the Confederate Army; from California, 

 through Mr. Berton, Swiss trader at St. Francisco, and by Mr. 

 Sutter. 



Notwithstanding all these contributions, the collections which 

 I myself brought from America still form the staple of my mate- 

 rials ; but these subsequent additions are very useful complements. 

 I, therefore, avail myself of this opportunity to thank publicly 



1 Hymenoptera from Rock Island, South Illinois, collected by Kennicott. 

 " " from Illinois, collected by Walsh. 

 " " from Lake Superior, collected by L. Agassiz. 

 " " from Williamstown, Massachusetts, collected by S. II . 



Scudder. 

 11 " of the Cape St. Lucas, California, collected by John 



Xantus. 



11 " from Rio Peros River, collected by Capt. Pope, U. S. A., 



and various other Ilymenoptera collected at Fort 



Tejon, California; English River, etc. 



The first five collections had been formed by individuals in the interest 



of science ; the others by explorations carried on by order of government. 



