INTRODUCTORY NOTE. 
For several years past complaint has been made to the Division of En- 
tomology concerning the damage done by various species of Anguillu- 
lidse, which affect the roots of different plants in different sections of 
the country, and I have frequently been urged, as Entomologist, to in- 
vestigate the matter. I have always been puzzled to know what reply 
to make in such cases, as no American investigator has undertaken a 
a systematic study of these Nematodes, and they do uot, in a zoological 
sense, strictly belong to the Division work. I have contented myself 
therefore with recording the various facts of injury to different plants 
that have come to me in the past twenty years, and some microscopic 
notes in reference to the specimens. One species seems to do consid- 
erable damage to certain plants in greenhouses in the North, while 
another is equally destructive to the roots of trees and plants in the 
South, particularly in Florida. Towards the close of the year 1887 the 
complaints of the damage done by the Florida root-inhabiting species 
were so numerous that, at the request of the Commissioner of Agricul- 
ture, I decided to conduct some investigations as a part of the Division 
work. The demands upon the resources of the Division arising from 
its more legitimate investigations have been such that but little time 
and small funds could be spent in this direction. Dr. J. C. Neal, then 
of Archer, Fla., but now Entomologist and Botanist of the Florida Ag- 
ricultural Experiment Station at Lake City, a -diligent observer, and 
associated with me in previous investigations both under the U. S. En- 
tomological Commission and under this Division, was commissioned for 
five months and instructed to make as careful studies and experiments 
concerning this pest as it would be possible to make during the short 
time of his employment. His work was done between February 1 and 
September 1, 1888, and while I do not claim for Dr. Neal, any more 
than he would himself claim, special or technical knowledge in this 
branch of Zoology, his work is not without scientific interest. The in- 
vestigations have been, however, from a practical stand-point, and the 
results more than justify the slight expenditure. The Bulletin makes 
no pretense to be a scientific treatise on the life history of these worms, 
but is in the main an effort to ascertain a suitable remedy. The general 
literature on the subject has not been at Dr. Neat's command, and my 
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