F. M. Carpenter and P. J. Darlington, Jr.
NATHAN BANKS, a Biographic Sketch and List of Publications.
Psyche 61:81-110, 1954.

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X vrn-tx BANKS
186s-1953
From ii pl'totograph taken in 1833




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PSYCHE
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Vol. 61 September, 1954 No. 3
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NATHAN BANKS
A BIOGRAPHIC SKETCH AND LIST OF PUBLICATIONS Nathan Banks was born at Roslyn, New York, on April 13, 1868. After attending the Roslyn sch~ools, he went to Cornell University, from which he received the Bachelor of Science degree in 1889. His early interest in natural history, which was apparent even in boyhood, developed during his college days into an enthusiasm for entomology that never diminished. Graduate studies at Cornell, under the super~isi~on of Professor J. H. Comstock, led to the Master of Science degree in 1890. Later in that year he was appointed to a position in the Bureau of Entomology of the United States Department of Agriculture in Wash- ington, where for twenty-six years he did research on the taxonomy of insects and arachnids.
As the years passed, however, Banks became dissatis- fied with the Washington position. One of his concerns was the safe housing and maintenance of his private col- lection of insects, which, as a result of exchanges with numerous entomologists in many countries, had attained extraordinary size and significance. In 1904 he wrote to Samuel Henshaw, the newly appointed director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, inquiring about the pos- sibility of a position there. Henshaw was unable to ar- range for an appointment at that time, alth'ough he gave Banks definite encouragement for the future. Nearly ten years later, 1913, the appointment became something more than a hope. Towards the end of that year Banks wrote Henshaw: "When I get to the Museum I shall not expect to publish much for several years, as I



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82 Psyche
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expect the curatorial work and sorting and identification of material will take up all my time." This kind of work did in fact take up much of his time for most of his work- ing life, although it did not stop his publishing on his re- search. It was partly his willingness to do such work that enabled him to build up a magnificent insect collec- tion at the Museum of Comparative Zoology. The appoint- ment was, however, delayed nearly three years longer, and in the interval Banks was offered a position by another museum in this country, specifically the curatorship of Thysanura, Arachnids and Neuroptera. He refused this offer, however, pointing out that "he rather fancied him- self an entomologist", not just a specialist in a few orders. By early 1916 definite provisions for the appointment at the Museum of Comparative Zoology were made by its governing board. Banks shipped his collection and library to the Museum during early fall and finally moved to Cambridge in November.
Banks7 collection, which was donated to the Museum on his arrival, constituted one of the largest and most valuable entomological collections ever received by the Museum. It
included more than 120,000 specimens, of which 1,800 were types. His library, also given to the Museum, contained about a thousand pamphlets and books not in the Museum library.
The Annual Report of the Museum for 1916-17 con- tained the following reference to the new curator: "The
permanent staff of the Museum has been strengthened by the appointment of Mr. Nathan Banks as Curator of In- sects. During the early years (1863-1867) of the Museum, the entomological collections were in charge of three As- sistants, Samuel H. Scudder, Alpheus S. Packard, Jr., and Phillip R. Uhler, later three eminent entomologists. In October, 1867, Dr. H. A. Hagen to'ok charge of the collec- tions, and during his term of service which lasted until his death, they were placed in the front rank of University collections. During the fifty years since Dr. Hagen's ap- pointment, the study of insects has become more and more specialized, and the Museum is fortunate in its appoint- ment of an entomologist whose training and interests in-



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19.541 Nathan Banks 83
sure a broad and equitable consideration of the work of his department."
In 1928, as part of an initial step in the integration of the Department of Biology and the research staff of the Museum, Banks was appointed Associate Professor of Zo- ology. Although he gave no formal lecture course in the University, his informal instruction through research courses was invaluable to advanced students and became of even greater significance a few years later, when gradu- ate instruction in entomology was transferred from the Bussey Institution at Forest Hills to the Biological Labora- tories at Cambridge. In 1941, when additional curators were appointed in entomology at the Museum, Banks was designated Head Curator of Insects, a title which he held until his retirement in 1945, at the age of 76. Banks remained active for a few years after his retire- ment, working chiefly on the preparation of a catalogue of literature on the habits of insects, but his strength gradually failed him. He died at his home in Holliston, Massachusetts, on January 24, 1953, at the age of 84. He is survived by his wife (nee Mary A. Lu Gar) and eight children.
The contributions made by Banks through his publica- tions are truly impressive. His bibliography, given below, includes 440 technical papers, on many aspects of ento- mology. The majority of his early publications, from 1890 to 1900, were on arachnids, but most of his later ones dealt with the insect orders Trichoptera, Mecoptera, Neu- roptera, Perlaria and Psocoptera, on all of which he was a world authority.
Banks was a good collector, but he was too occupied with the Museum duties to make extensive trips. In 1906 he collected in the vicinity of the Black Mts., in North Carolina; in 1924 he made his longest field trip - to Barro Colorado Island, in the Canal Zone; in 1931 he made a collecting trip to the Smoky Mts., accompanied by his son Gilbert, and P. J. Darlington, Jr., and F. M. Carpenter. He also made extensive collections in the vicinity of his home; the collections at the Museum contain many thou- sands of specimens from Sea Cliff, New York; Falls



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Church, Virginia; and Lexington and Holliston, Massa- chusetts - these being the successive locations of his home. Banks' greatest contribution to entomology was through his service and devotion as curator of the entomological collections. Having virtually no assistance at the Museum, he did the routine curatorial work on the collection, com- piled catalogues of types and genera, and prepared speci- mens for shipment tlo investigators in other institutions. The continued high rank of Harvard's entomological col- lection is chiefly the result of his efforts. The collection it- self is indeed a memorial to the devotion which he had for entomology.
He had a great capacity for work, a single-mindedness of purpose, and a good memory. It is a misfortune that his knowledge of the structural diversity and adaptations of insects was not more available to biologists. This was partly his fault. He had not learned the modern vocabu- laries of genetics and evolution. Moreover, Banks, feeling that he was too busy, did not join the smoking and con- versation group on the Museum steps in mid-morning and mid-afternoon, further restricting the circulation of his knowledge. Nevertheless he liked people and liked to talk, and was kind, helpful, and had a sense of humor. The foll~owing list of Nathan Banks' publications is as nearly complete as we can make it. Since he kept no record of his own papers, we have had to compile this list from many sources. We are indebted to Miss Jolane P. Baum- garten and Miss Ruth Dunn for assistance in the prepara- tion of the bibliography. A few additional publications by Mr. Banks will undoubtedly come to light; we would ap- predate being informed of them, so that we may include them in a subsequent list.
F. M. Carpenter
P. J. Darlington, Jr.




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19541 Nathan Banks 85
PUBLICATIONS OF NATHAN BANKS
1890
A new pseudoscorpion. Canadian Ent., 22:152. On Thahrnia 'pwrietalis Hentz. Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash- ington, 2 : 125-128.
1891
Notes on North American Chernetidae. Canadian Ent., 23 ~161-166.
Notes on the Dysderidae of the United States. Canadian Ent., 23 :207-209.
N'otes on some spiders described by Hentz. Ent. News, 2 :84-87.
Synonymical notes on spiders. Ert. News, 2:193. Mimicry in spiders. Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, 2 : 174- 176.
A new genus of Phalangiidae. Proc. Ent. Soc. Washing- ton, 2 :249-250.
On Prodidow rufus Hentz. Proc. Ent. Soc. Washing- ton, 2:259-261, 1 fig.
1892
A classification of the Ntorth American spiders. Can- adian Ent., 2-4 :88-97.
Our Atypidae and Thera~~osidae. Ent. News, 3 :147-150. The
spider fauna of the Upper Lake, Cayuga Basin. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, pt. 1 : 11-81, pis. 1-5. A synopsis, catalogue, and bibliography of the neurop- teroid insects of temperate North America. Trans. Ameri- can Ent. Soc., 19 :327-373.
Notes on the mouth parts and thorax of insects and chilopods. American Nat., 27 :400-401.
Review of: Histoire Naturelle des Araignees : deuxihme edition, par Eugene Simon. Canadian Ent., 25 :27-28. New Chernetidae from the United States. Canadian Ent., 25 ~64-67.
The Phalanginae of the United States.
Canadian Ent.,
25 ~205-211.




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86 Psyche
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A new species of Oligolophus. Canadian Ent., 25 :252-253. The silk of spiders.
Insect Life, 5 :210.
Notes on spiders.
J. New York Ent. Soc., 1 :123-134.
Arachnida in the "Scientific results of the U.S. 'Eclipse' expedition to West Africa, 1889-'90." Proc. United States Mus., 16 ~586-587.
A new American Lacinius. Psyche, 6 :402-403. The Phalangida Mecostethi of the United States. Trans.
American Ent. Soc., 20 :149-152.
1894
The Odonata of Ithaca, N.Y. Canadian Ent., 26:76-78. Concerning Calotarsa ornutipes, Townsend. Canadian Ent., 26~88.
Washington Phalangidae, with descriptions of a new southern Liobunm. Canadian Ent., 26 : 160-164. Some Psychodidae from Long Island, N.Y. Canadian Ent., 26 329-333.
Notes on Larinia and Cercidia. Ent. News, 5:8-9. On a collection of neuropteroid insects from Kansas. Ent. News, 5 : 178-180.
On a classification of arthropods. Ent. News, 5 :213-216. Two families of spiders new to the United States. Ent. News, 5 :298-300.
The Phalangidae of New York. J. New York Ent. Soc., 2 :40-41.
On the Lycosidae of Colorado. J. New York Ent. Soc., 2 ~49-52.
Notes on Phalangidae. J. New York Ent. Soc., 2 :145-146. Some new American Acarina. Trans. American Ent. SOC., 21 :209-222.
1895
The Arachnida of Colorado. Ann. New York Acad. Sei., 8 :417-434.
Some new Attidae. Canadian Ent., 27 :96-102. Notes on Psychoda. Canadian Ent., 27:324. Comment on "Insect life", by Wm. H. Ashmead. Ent. News, 6 : 18-19.
Chernetid attached to a fly. Ent. News, 6 :115. Aeschna pentacantha in New York. Ent. News, 6 :124.



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19541 Nathan Banks 87
Some Missouri spiders. Ent. News, 6 :204-207. Notes on the Pseudoscorpionida. J. New York Ent. Soc., 3 :I-13.
Two California phalangids. J. New York Ent. Soc., 3 :66. A list of spiders of Long Island, N. Y., with descriptions of new species. J. New York Ent. Soc., 3 :76-93. Some acarians from Sphagnum swamp. J. New York Ent. Sloe., 3 928-130.
Some Mexican Neuroptera. Proc. California Acad. Sci., 5 ~515-522.
The Nemastomatidae and Trogulidae of the United States. Part 1. Psyche, 7 :11-12.
The Nemastomatidae and Trogulidae of the United States. Part 2. Psyche, 7 :51-52.
The genus Oxypt'ila. Psyche, 7 :241-244. On the Oribatoidea of the United States. Trans. Arneri- can Ent. Soc., 22 : 1-16.
New neuropteroid insects. Trans. American Ent. Soc., 22 :313-316.
1896
A few new spiders. Canadian Ent., 28 :62-65. A new species of Meleoma,. Ent. News, 7:95-96. New California spiders. J. New Y ork Ent. Soc., -4 :88-91. Additions to the list of Long Island spiders. J. New York Ent. SOC., 4 : 190-192.
A new species of Gomphus. J. New York Ent. Soc., 6 : 193-1 95.
Indiana caves and their fauna. Rep. Indiana Geol. Surv., 21å 202-205.
New North American spiders and mites. Trans. Ameri- can Ent. Soc., 23 :57-77.
Slome notes on the flora and fauna of Mammoth Cave, Kentulcky. American Nat., 31 :377-392 (R. E. Call). Descriptions of new spiders. Canadian Ent., fl:193-197. A Leucochrysa from Florida. Ent. News, 7 :183. Descriptions of two new smynthurids. J. New York Ent. Soc., 5 :33-34.
Some Syrphidae from Long Island. J. New York Ent. SOC., 5 :40-41.




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Three new species of Chrysopidae. hoe. Ent. Soc. Washington, 4 : 173-175.
New North American neuropteroid insects. Trails. Amer- ican Ent. SOC., 2^:21-31.
1898
Bibliography of the more important contributions to American economic entomology. The more important writ- ings published between June 30, 1888, and December 30, 1896. United States Div. Ent., 273 pp.
"Araneae Hungariae", by C. Chyzer and L. Kulczynski. A Review. Canadian Ent., 30:168.
Some new spiders. Canadian Ent., 30 : 185-188. Three myrmecophilous mites. Canadian Ent., SO :265-266. Arachnida from the Malaspina Glacier, Alaska. Ent. News, 9 :16.
Concerning the names of some common spiders. Ent. News, 9 : 141-142.
Some Mexican Phalangida. J. New York Ent. Soc., 6 :181-182.
Arachnida from Baja California and other parts of Mexico. Proc. California Acad. Sci., 1 :205-308. pis. 13-17. Descriptions of new North American neuropteroid in- sects. Trans. American Ent. Soc., 25 :l99-218. 1899
Reports upon the insects, spiders, mites, and myriapods collected by Dr. L. Stejneger and Mr. G. E. H. Barrett- Hamilton on the Commander Islands. Report of the fur- seal investigations, 1896-1897, Pt. 4, Appendix C, p. 328, Edited by W. H. Ashmead.
A classification of the North American Myrmeleonidae. Canadian Ent., 31 :67-71.
Spiders in bananas. Ent. News, 10 '44-45. New Myrmeleonidae. Ent. News, 10 : 170-172. The psocids of an old snake-fence. Ent. News, 10:260- 261.
The Smynthuridae of Long Island, New York. J. New York Ent. Soc., 7:193-197.
Some spiders from northern Louisiana. Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, 4 : 188-195.




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15541 Nathan Banks 89
A new species of the genus Halarachne. Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, .4 :212-215.
An American species of the genus Caeculz~s. Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, 4:221-222.
Tarsonew in America. Proc. Ent. Soc. Washington, 4 :294-296.
A new solpugid from Califtornia. Proc. Ent. Soc. Wash- ington, 4 :314-315.
New genera and species of Nearctic neuropteroid insects. Trans. American Ent. Soc., 26:236-260.
Synopses of North American invertebrates. IX. The scorpions, solpugids, and Pedipalpi. American Nat., 35: 421-427.
The red spiders of the United States. (Tetranychus and Stiqmcreus) . Tech. Bull. United States Div. Ent., 8 :65-77, 17 figs.
Cotton insects in Egypt. Bull. United States Div. Ent., 22 :99-100.
A list of works on North American entomology. Bull. United States Div. Ent., 2.4 :95 pp.
On two genera of mites. Canadian Ent., 32:30-33. Some new North American spiders. Canadian Ent., 32 ~96-102.
A new genus of Atropidae. Ent. News, 11 :431-432. Two new species of Troctes. Ent. News, 11 :559-560. A new species of Myrmeleon from Texas. Ent. News, 11 596.
Psocids at Light. Ent. News, 11 :601.
New genera and species of Phalang'ida. J. New York Ent. SOC., 8:199-201.
Papers from the Harriman Alaska expedition. Ento- mological results (4) :Neuropteroid insects. Proc. Wash- ington Acad. Sci., 2:465-476, pis. 27-28. Papers from the Harriman Alaska expedition. Ento- mological results (5) : Arachnida. Proc. Washington Acad. Sci., 2:477-486, pi. 29.
Camphor secreted by an animal. Science (n.s.) , 12 :649.



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90 Psyche
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1901
Synopses of North American invertebrates. XVI. The Phalangida. American Nat., 35 :669-679, 6 figs. Flies as carriers of disease. American Nat., 35 :406-407. The eastern species of Psychoda. Canadian Ent., 32:273- 275.
A new genus of Myrmeleonidae. Canadian Ent., 32:329- 330.
A new ascalaphid from the United States. Ent. News, 12 :172.
Notes on some spiders of Walkenaer, Koch and others. J. New York Ent. Soc., 9 :182-189.
Some Arachnida from New Mexico. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 53 : 568-597, pi. 33. A new genus of endoparasitic acarians. Geneesk Tijd- schr. Nederl. Indie, 61 :334-336.
Some spiders and other Arachnida from southern Ari- zona. Proc. United States Nat. Mus., 23:581-590, pi. 22. Papers from the Hopkins Stanford Galapagos expedi- tion, 1898-1899. Entomological results (5) :Thysanura and Termitidae. Proc. Washington Acad. Sci., 3:541-546. Arachnida, Neuroptera. In "Some insects of the Hudson- ian zone in New Mexico. I." (T. D. A. Cockerell). Psyche, 9 :123-126.
Neuropteroid insects. In "Some insects of the Hudsonian zone in New Mexico. VI." Psyche, 9 :286. A list of neuropteroid insects from Mexico. Trans. Amer- ican Ent. Soc., 27 :361-371, pi. 12.
Bibliography of the more important contributions to American economic entomology. Part 7. The more im- portant writings published between
December 31, 1896,
and January 1, 1900. United States Div. Ent., 113 pp. 1902
Principal insects liable to be distributed on nursery stock. Bull. United States Div. Ent., 34:46 pp. Notes and descriptions of Perlidae. Canadian Ent., 34: 123-125.
New genera and species of acarians. Canadian Ent., SU\171-176, 4 figs.




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19541 Nathan Banks 91
"The common spiders of the United States", by J. H. Emerton. A review. Canadian Ent., 3.4 :218. A new species of Brachynemurws. Ent. News, 13:86. Daddy-long-legs from Mt. Katahdin, Maine. Ent. News, I3 :308-309.
A new phalangid from the Black Mountains, N. C. J. New York Ent Soc., I0 :142.
Sleeping habits of certain Hymenoptera. J. New York Ent. SOC., 10:209-214.
Some Arachnida from Alabama. Proc. Acad. Sci. Phila- delphia, 52 : 5Z9~543.
Some Arachnida from New Mexico. Proc. Acad. Sci. Philadelphia, 53 :568-597, pi. 33.
Some spiders and other Arachnida from Porto Rico. Proc. United States Nat. Mus., 24 ~217-227, pi. 15.