MR. EMERSON’S REPORT. 
To His Excellency, Governor EVERETT: 
Sir :—I transmit a Report from Dr. Harris, upon the habits of 
some insects injurious to vegetation, in Massachusetts, and a Report 
from Dr. Gould upon the Molluscous and other inferior animals. 
These, with the reports I have already had the honor to transmit to 
your Excellency, although confessedly incomplete, are all that the 
Commissioners for the Botanical and Zoological Survey will be able 
to present, during the present season. ‘Those upon the Botanical 
Survey are necessarily deferred, a single full year not having elapsed 
since the date of our commission. 
Immediately after receiving from your Excellency that commis- 
sion, which bore date June 10th, 1837, and by which Drs. Emmons, 
Gould, Harris, and Storer, and Messrs. Dewey, and Peabody, and 
myself were appointed upon the Botanical and Zoological Survey of 
the State, authorized by a resolve of April 12th, I made known to 
the other gentlemen the fact of their appointment, and laid before them 
the letter of instructions received from your Excellency. The great 
distance from the metropolis at which three of the gentlemen resided, 
making it inconvenient to have a full meeting, as would have been 
desirable, and as was recommended by your Excellency, I conferred 
with those gentlemen of the commission who resided in the immedi- 
ate vicinity, and communicated with the others by letter, and thus ar- 
ranged with them, by mutual agreement, an assignment of the sepa- 
rate portions of the work which should be undertaken by each. 
In this arrangement, Dr. Emmons undertook to report upon the 
Mammalia of the State; Dr. Storer, upon the Fishes and Reptiles ; 
Mr. Peabody, upon the Birds; Dr. Harris, upon the Insects; Dr. 
Gould, upon the animals of the lower orders; Professor Dewey, 
