THE DIVISION OF INSECTS IN THE UNITED STATES 
NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
By J. M. Alurich, 
Associate Curator. 
[With 15 plates.] 
HISTORY. 
The insect collection of the National Museum owes its beginning to 
Dr. C. V. Riley, who became Chief of the Division of Entomology 
in the Bureau of Agriculture in 1878. He brought with him from 
his nine years of great activity as State entomologist of Missouri a 
good working collection of the insects commonly met with at that 
time in economic work, as well as many others accumulated along 
with them. The Riley collection was formed with a very distinct 
practical object; as a standard with which to compare insects en- 
countered in the daily work of an economic entomologist, in order 
to find out the extent of distribution of injurious forms, or to be 
sure that specimens referred to him for name were really the same 
as those which had proved to be injurious or beneficial. This sort of 
work, very elementary at first, gradually took on a more specialized 
character as the number of insects important in agriculture increased 
with the growth of economic entomology. The few assistants on 
Riley's staff took up various groups of insects for study in their avail- 
able time, and by collecting added largely to what had been origi- 
nally brought to Washington. In 1882 Riley deposited the collec- 
tion for safekeeping in the National Museum (old building), and was 
designated honorary curator of entomology on the Museum staff. 
In 1886, in consideration of the appointment of an assistant curator 
to be paid from Museum funds, Riley formally transferred the whole 
insect collection, then numbering some 115,000 specimens, to the 
Museum; as before, however, it continued to receive the attention 
of specialists in the division, and to serve the same economic pur- 
poses. The assistant chosen was John B. Smith, of Brooklyn, who 
remained about three years and then became State entomologist of 
New Jersey. After his departure the position was unfilled, but 
Martin Linell was appointed aid, continuing in this grade until his 
death in 1896. 
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