50 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



line sufficient room for inserting the date, which can be quickly 

 and neatly written with ink if the labels are printed in columns 

 of ten or more repetitions. The label thus combines locality 

 with date of capture. Or the upper line reads " Arizona," 

 and the lower line "Morrison," the label thus combining 

 locality with name of the collector. In large specimens, e. g., 

 most Lepidoptera, many more labels can, of course, be con 

 veniently combined into one. In short, it will be found that 

 even in a very carefully labeled collection the number of 

 labels on most specimens averages not more than two or three. 

 I am far from pretending that the above remarks contain 

 anything that has not appeared in print before, but I was 

 prompted to offer them because the subject has been but 

 slightly touched or entirely neglected by American writers on 

 arranging insect collections ; and further, because I know 

 from experience that many of our collectors do not sufficiently 

 appreciate the fact that the value and usefulness of a collection 

 is greatly enhanced if the specimens are carefully labeled, and 

 that this can be attained by very little additional expenditure 

 of time and money. 



Mr. Mann assented generally to the scheme presented by 

 Mr. Schwarz, but thought that a three-line label would be 

 preferable. 



Mr. Schwarz said that three-line labels would be trouble 

 some in the case of minute specimens mounted on triangles. 



Prof. Riley, while agreeing generally with Mr. Schwarz, 

 stated that the method of labeling would depend on the char 

 acter of the collection. He held that there was no particular 

 disadvantage in a large label or in folded labels. In visiting 

 foreign collections he liked to use on the specimens identified 

 large labels of thin paper that would contain a good deal of 

 information and could be folded up into small compass. Square 

 labels were not thought to be necessarily awkward. He 

 stated that he would alwaj^s retain the provisional number 

 attached to specimens sent to specialists to be identified, and 

 these specimens should also bear the name of the determiner 

 and the date of determination so that it would be possible to 

 refer to letters, etc. He further stated that the reverse of the 

 label might be employed for notes relating to food-habits, etc. 

 With reference to the numbering of specimens to refer to notes 



