262 NOTES ON LEnuOPTEnA. 



course through Norway and Sweden, and other Alpine districts of the continent, 

 but by no means attempt to arrange it along with the productions of England, 

 which, to be properly understood, must go hand in hand with the fauna of 

 most parts of temperate Europe. The fauna of Ireland too, might well be 

 separated from that of Great Britain, as possessing features of a very peculiar 

 and oftimes anomalous kind, with which every naturalist is familiar, and on 

 that account need not here be dwelt upon. 



But collections of local fauna can never be arranged in a natural manner 

 without some degree of confusion resulting from the difficulty of determining 

 the real position of many widely- distributed species; rather let the naturalist 

 consign his theories of local and geographical distribution to his note-book, tL\ou<y 

 with any remarks on the habits and economy of the objects of his study, 

 vrith which indeed all such theories are inseparably connected. These obser- 

 vations sufficiently answer the before- mentioned query with respect to Guernsey 

 insects, a fauna which, in common with the productions of many districts of 

 the continent, cannot be separated from that of England without doing 

 violence to those interesting and beautiful laws of distribution which, with every 

 true entomologist, are a field for enticing investigation — a source of inviting 

 inquiry. Viewed however in the unnatural light which guides the purely 

 British collector, such insects would only be considered as intruders, not 

 having been fortunate enough to be captured within the magic circle of 

 Great Britain and Ireland! This doubtless will be the response of the 

 'authority' to which the querist alludes; but let him, with ourselves, appeal 

 to the only authority in such cases which the naturalist\nows — the authority 

 of nature; for of a truth, '^nunqnam aliud natura aliud sapientia dicit." 



Another use in the investigation of local fauna consists in the facility thus 

 affiarded of noticing the peculiarities, and oftimes anomalies, which species 

 exhibit in the selection of their habitats. This can only be attained by a 

 patient tracing of the habits of the species, as shown in various localities; a 

 subject on which our notes have swelled to some extent, but on which at 

 present we refrain from enlarging. 



Thus it will be seen that local notes in the natural history of animal life 

 have their distinct sphere of usefulness, when viewed as a link or step towards 

 a proper understanding of the economy of nature; but when looked upon as 

 a topic of exclusive interest, far better would it have been had they never 

 been penned. We know not how far our feelings in these and former remarks 

 have been shared in by the entomological readers of "The Naturalist," but glad 

 should we be if they have had the effect of arousing inquiry and careful study 

 of the truths of nature in any. Then instead of the insipid "lists of captures," 

 and '^curious facts," worthless in themselves, and sometimes not free from 

 vulgarity, which adorn the pages of some magazines of natural history^ 

 we might hope to see observations made, and conclusions arrived at, of perma- 

 nent value; a bright contrast to the episodes of "strolling" dabblers, whose effu- 

 sions, whilst ofiFensive to the eye, are alike beneath our criticism and contempt. 



Glasgoio, October, 1852. 



