INTRODUCTION. 



By C. V. Riley. 



The following catalogue of the exhibit made by the Division of 

 Entomology, Department of Agriculture, for the World's Columbian 

 Exposition at Chicago, has been prepared with a view of increasing 

 the usefulness of the exhibit from an economic and educational stand- 

 point, and is intended to supplement the exhibit by giving such infor- 

 mation regarding each separate item as the articles themselves do not 

 convey or which it was impossible to give upon the limited space of 

 the labels accompanying- each specimen or article exhibited, though 

 these have been made as full as circumstances would permit. In the 

 preparation of the catalogue and of the exhibit itself I have had the 

 aid of Mr. C. L. Marlatt, who has been particularly charged with the 

 work, and whose assistance 1 take pleasure in acknowledging. 



The exhibit of the division is intended to illustrate the work thai 

 has been done in applied entomology, viz, the investigation of the his- 

 tory of injurious insects and the devising of suitable remedies to pre 

 vent their injuries; also the work of building up and maintaining a 

 large and valuable national collection of American species, and inci- 

 dentally the representation of exotic insects for purposes of compari- 

 son. The intimate connection of the Department of Insects of the 

 National Museum with the Division of Entomology has justified me, as 

 honorary curator of said Departmenl in the National Museum, in com- 

 bining this last feature with the exhibit of the I'. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, ami, to avoid duplication, T have, with Prof. Goode's approval, 

 confined the Museum exhibit to an exposition of the characteristics of 

 the families of American insects. 



Certain prominent and interesting exhibits of an entirely novel 

 character in the line of entomological illustration have also been made, 

 the leading features of which are wax models of the host plants. 

 While a number of plants have been thus modeled. 1 have designed 

 to thus represent more particularly two of the most important and 

 characteristic of the economic plants of North America, viz, cotton 

 and Indian corn: and one, which, as the most conspicuous and wide- 

 spread of the floral forms which add beauty to our autumn scenery, is. 



7 



