THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 29 



FURTHER NOTES ON TYPES AND OTHER SPECIMENS IN 



THE BRITISH MUSEUM. * 



BV HENRY H. I.Y.MAN, MONTREAL. 



Having planned a trip to Europe for the early part of last- spring, I 

 was anxious to utilize the opportunity to compare some specimens with 

 types in the British Museum, but as I was sailing to the Mediterranean 

 and going to spend most of my time in Italy, it was impossible to take 

 more than a very few specimens, as I had to carry them everywhere, and 

 did not dare to intrust the box to anyone else to carry for me. I there- 

 fore restricted myself to a cigar-box full, chiefly Gortynas, two of them 

 Appassionata and Harrisii, kindly lent me by Mr. Bird, and the rest from 

 ray own collection. 



I sailed from Boston 26th March, via the Azores, Gibraltar, 

 Marseilles and Genoa to Naples, where I landed on the loth April. I 

 reached London on 4th June, and the following week paid two visits of 

 some hours each to the Entomological room of the British Museum. 



I was unfortunate in missing Sir George Hampson, who was absent 

 on sick leave, but every facility was given me for study, and I was much 

 indebted to the courtesy of the other members of the staff. To guard 

 against misconception, I wish to say that anything which I may say in 

 regard to errors of determination is not to be understood as criticism of 

 the officers in charge of that collection. No great collection can possibly 

 be free from very many errors. No man can be thoroughly acquainted 

 with the Rhopalocera or Heterocera of the world, and the enormous mass 

 of material already there and the very large accessions which are con- 

 stantly being received, render it impossible for the wholly inadequate staff 

 to cope with the work. 



If there is one criticism I would make it is that there seems to be too 

 much of a tendency to find specimens to agree with the description of 

 every synonym, and so to have one or more specimens standing under 

 every name which has ever been given, which I think a great mistake, but 

 to have a great national collection practically free from errors it would be 

 necessary to call in experts in every group from all parts of the world, 

 and have them working for months on the parts of the collection that 

 they are competent to deal with, and that, of course, is manifestly 

 impossible. My time was chiefly given to the Gortynas, and I made the 

 following notes : 



*Read at the Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of Ontario, 27th 

 Oct., 1904. 

 January, xgos. 



