USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Insects, 1881 and 1882

Charles Valentine Riley, an entomologist with the United States Department of Agriculture simultaneously served as honorary curator for the Department of Insects in the early years of the United States National Museum. In his cover letter, Riley notes his resubmitted 1881 report "will show just what has been done as a beginning to something in the future." His report covering the Department's activity in 1882 reveals how he discovered a new species in the wooden frames holding botanical specimens elsewhere in the museum. Join in with other digital volunteers to learn more about the earliest days of this small department.