AUTHOE’S PREFACE. 
T he first edition of this work was printed in the year 1841. 
It formed one of the scientific Reports, which were pre- 
» 
pared and published by the Commissioners on the Zoological and 
Botanical Survey of Massachusetts, agreeably to an order of the 
General Court, and at the expense of the State. The Commis¬ 
sion for this Survey bore the date of June 10th, 1837 ; and the 
following instructions from his Excellency, Governor Everett, ac¬ 
companied it: — 
“ It is presumed to have been a leading object of the Legisla¬ 
ture, in authorizing this Survey, to promote the agricultural benefit 
of the Commonwealth, and you will keep carefully in view the 
economical relations of every subject of your inquiry. By this, 
however, it is not intended that scientific order, method, or com¬ 
prehension should be departed from. At the same time, that 
which is practically useful will receive a proportionally greater 
share of attention, than that which is merely curious ; the promo¬ 
tion of comfort and happiness being the great human end of all 
science.” 
Upon a division of duties among the Commissioners, the depart¬ 
ment of Insects was assigned to me. Some idea of the extent 
of this department may be formed by an examination of my Cata¬ 
logues of the Insects of Massachusetts, appended to the first and 
second editions of Professor Hitchcock’s Report, in which above 
2,300 species were enumerated ; and these doubtless fall very far 
short of the actual number to be found within this Commonwealth. 
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