The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-09-17
ENGLAND'S GREAT
INSECT CENSUS

From the complete census of the insect
kingdom that has just been taken scientists
have decided that the common mosquito
is the most harmful of all the bug families
Unlike other insects it absorbs the poisons
of disease in order that it may inject them
again into the veins. of its victims. The
scientists are so fully persuaded that
much disease is due to the work of this
insect that they are arranging to exter-
minuate it from the face of the earth. The
cut shows the head of a mosquito aud
above 1t the instrument by means of which
the fatal injections made.
English scientists have just completed
one of the most unique experiments ever
undertaken. this being nothing less than
an insect census. The idea originated with
the officials of the British museum but
now that the work has been practically
completed the results obtained have been
remarkable that investigations along
these lines are to be continued, facts and
figures are to be verified, and every effort
Is to be made to get the information OBJ
tanned into such a form a to make it of
great value in improving the health of hui
mainly. That such results will follow there
seems to be no reason for doubt.
This novel census of the insect kingdom
has been taken on purely scientific lines.
it's original object being to determine il
possible which insects We're a boon and
blessing to mankind. and which were the
reverse. Altogether the statistics that
have been obtained have quite upset the
old ideas aud text books will have to be
changed as the result of this inves dga-
ton.
According to the opinion that has gen.
orally prevailed all insects as well ali
nj lie war cd for no banp.
fit of mar. It is true that science has
not held this opinion for years but it has
certainly been the popular opinion. In
stead of that, however, it has now been
conelusively proved that while there are
many insects that render us considerable
service there are almost as many that are
properly termed pests" and some of
these little enemies of men succeed in ac-
complishing an amount of evil entirely out
of proportion to their size.
According to this census there are sol
families of insect life and these have been
divided into three classes. good. bad and
Indifferent The good insects number 11G
families; the bad insects 11S families. while
the insects of whom not enough is known
to permit the investigator to classify them
at present number 70 families. The future
work of the census commissioners will be
to study these doubtful characters in in
sect life in order that their purpose in liv-
ing may be ascertained after which they
too will be set down as good or bad
OF the 113 families of bad insects some
of them are of a most disgraceful char
acter, for those who do not spend their
lives in devouring thousands of dollars
worth of vegetables every year, gobbblinE
up spring cabbages. early potatoes and
succulant young peas in the most ruthless
fashion. have their object in life the
sole desire to bring suffering and disease
to the animal kingdom, of which man Is
a part.
While the good or beneficial insects are
of less interest to us at the present time
it is instructive to know just what their
mission in life is OF the 116 families, ~
devote themselves to the destruction of
their wicked, vegetable breth-
rem; thirty-two families act as scavengers
and clear away with great rapidity all
sorts of decayng vegetable and animal