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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Shade and forest tree insects. These constitute an important 

 group, particularly as insect depredations on shade trees appear 

 to increase in severity from year to year — strikingly illustrated by 

 the extensive injuries inflicted by tussock moth larvae on the 

 shade trees of many of our cities and villages in 1905. So many 

 trees were defoliated by the pest that the Entomologist judged it 

 timely to make an appeal for their more adequate protection. 

 Calculation based on an assumed value of $10 a tree shows that 

 the total value of the shade trees in the cities and villages of the 

 State is at least $18,000,000 and probably much more. It is a 

 short-sighted policy that allows this vast wealth, which can be 

 replaced only by great expenditure of both time and money, to be 

 destroyed for the want of a little protection, and we have therefore 

 deemed it fitting to urge through the public press, that every city 

 of 50,000 or more should make provision for the adequate 

 care of its shade trees by putting them under the control of a 

 properly qualified forester or entomologist connected with either 

 the park or city departments. We have further suggested that 

 most villages would find it advantageous to make some provision 

 for the welfare of fheir shade trees. 



The investigations of shade and forest tree insects, begun by 

 the writer in 1895, have been continued in connection with an 

 extended memoir on Insects Affecting Park and Woodland Trees, 

 soon to appear. A series of illustrations necessary for the identi- 

 fication of the very destructive bark borers was an outcome of 

 these studies, a feature of the work being the demonstration of 

 specific morphologic differences existing in the proventriculi of 

 these small, dull colored apparently similar forms. Another 

 result of these investigations has been the rearing of a number of 

 gall gnats, known previously only by the vegetable malformations 

 produced. These forms have been characterized in the adult and 

 immature stages and form an excellent basis for further studies of 

 this interesting group. 



Mosquitos. This group is extremely important economically 

 and very interesting morphologically. Our work has been largely 

 of a fundamental character, since it is quite necessary to define 

 species before any precise statements can be made as to their life 

 history and habits. Several allied forms have been carefully 

 studied in all stages and satisfactory diagnostic characters worked 

 out. Morphologic studies are important because they reveal 

 natural relationships, something of considerable moment when 



