In Assembly, April 11, 1855. 
Report of a select cotnmittee in relation to the report of the State 
Agricultural Society on the “ Entomology of the State.” 
Mr. S. B. Cole, from the select committee, to which was re¬ 
ferred that portion of the State Agricultural Society’s report which 
related to the “Entomology” of this State, have examined with 
great interest the subject matter contained therein, and beg leave 
to make the following report: 
When the geological survey of the State was ordered by an act 
of the Legislature of 1836, it was designed to obtain a full explo¬ 
ration of the entire Natural History of the State. But in the pro¬ 
gress of that survey, the eminent individual who had charge of 
the zoological department, found his field so vast that it was im¬ 
possible for him to accomplish all the work that had been assigned 
to him; and having completed fiv e volumes upon the animals of 
the State, thus presenting for publication an amount of matter 
two-fold greater than that which was furnished by one of his col¬ 
leagues in the original survey, he closed his labors without afiy 
report upon the insects of. the State ; these forming a branch of 
his department, in which for various reasons, he saw fit not to 
engage. 
The objects which were thus omitted, constitute a most im¬ 
portant portion of our natural history. The number of their 
species is six times as great as that of our plants. They are so 
minute that they require the closest, most accurate, patient, and 
persevering research. Hence, while every other department of 
natural science has been assiduously explored in our country, by 
a number of votaries, this remains comparatively uninvestigated. 
Entire groups and families, including many scores and even hun¬ 
dreds of species, have never been carefully examined, and a large 
portion of the insects of our State, remain to this day, without so 
