Obituary. 433 
injurious to agriculture, a field up to this time almost completely 
new. A very important part of this work was in connection with 
the locust, which did great harm throughout the West between 
the years 1873 and 1877. Of the nine annual reports which he 
published, several were largely devoted to this subject, and the 
excellence of this work led to his being made chief of the newly 
created United States Entomological Commission, an organization 
effected largely through his influence and established in 1877. In 
this he was associated with Dr. A. 8. Packard and Prof. Cyrus 
Thomas. A number of exhaustive and highly valuable reports 
were published by this commission. Riley’s investigations ex- 
tended, especially in 1879 and 1880, to the cotton worm, and here 
also his labors proved of the highest service to the country. 
In 1878 he had been made entomologist to the United States 
Department of Agriculture, but soon resigned the position to be 
re-appointed under more favorable conditions in 1881. In regard 
to his labors in building up the department of Entomology, Mr. 
L. O. Howard writes as follows in a sketch published in the 
Farmer’s Magazine in 1890, from which are taken most of the 
facts of this notice :— 
“The present efficient organization of the division of ento- 
mology was his own original conception, and he is responsible for 
its plan down to the smallest detail. It is unquestionably the 
foremost organization of its kind at present in existence. It has 
a small permanent corps of scientific workers, who have been 
trained under him, and who assist in the preparation and editing 
of reports, in the care of insects the life-histories of which are 
being studied, in the making of elaborate notes, in the mounting 
-and arranging of specimens for permanent economic and classi- 
ficatory collections, in making drawings for illustrations to the 
reports, and in the very large correspondence. ‘The training of 
these assistants and their present efficiency and standing in the 
‘scientific world is only another instance of the thoroughness of 
Professor Riley’s methods. Several of them have gone out from 
his office to accept important positions under the State govern- 
ments, and thus the influence of his training has become wide- 
spread. Other entomologists are employed from time to time, 
and the clerical and other force is very efficiently arranged and 
“systematically employed. A small number of permanent field 
agents are stationed in different parts of the country, working on 
the habits of insects in the field, and conducting experiments 
with remedies. .. .” 
He also held the office of curator of the Department of 
‘Insects in the National Museum, and to this he presented his 
collection of one hundred and fifteen thousand mounted specimens 
of upwards of fifteen thousand species—a collection of the highest 
value to science. His researches included most of the insects 
especially injurious to American agriculture, and also the phyl- 
loxera. His work in connection with the latter led to his receiv- 
ing, in 1873, a gold medal from the French government.” That 
