200 [Dec 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 



1'1'lie ( 'onductors of ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS solicit and will thankfullyreceiN 

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 will be given in each case. Tor the information of cataloguers and hihliogrnph- 

 ers.] 



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PHILADELPHIA, PA., DECEMHEK, is<)<>. 



TIN-; object of describing' new species of insects is to make 

 them known to the scientific world, but this fundamental 

 principle in many cases serins to be overlooked by some of our 

 systematists who describe as species such slight variations, 

 brought about by distribution, climate or other causes, and 

 frequently from such insufficient material as to make it quite 

 impossible to know what they have in mind or what they 

 mean by their descriptions. Perhaps the entomologist of the 

 future will be a being who spends all his spare time and money 

 wandering over the earth seeking- types. Some day. perhaps, 

 these names that have crept and unfortunately will creep into 

 our future lists of species will be weeded out, but at the ex- 

 pense of much valuable time and study, and it would have 

 been better had thev never been described. Where there is 



i/ 



the slighest doubt about a single specimen supposed lobe new 

 il would be far better to wait for adequate material than to 

 rush into print and make a synonym. .More time should be 

 given to careful collecting through a series of years with accu- 

 rate data on all specimens particularly in one locality. If this 

 were done many interesting problems could be solved. Dur- 

 ing the past summer one of our subscribers spent considerable 

 t i me collecting certain species, and his work shows conclu- 

 sively that two names will have to be merged into one. This 

 is more sclent i tic and useful than constructing two names out 

 of nothing. Instead of the individual going around seeking 

 types another plan might be inaugurated, and that is build- 

 ing a cairn where I lie n. sp. is taken and putting all the in- 

 formation, etc., in a steel t ube which should have a screw cap 

 and be buried in 1 he cairn for the information of all students, 



