242 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



the right, whenever the sexes are fairly well divided or whsre 

 economy of space is not important But when one sex largely 

 predominates, especially in long series, or where space is scarce, 

 supers of the long sex are pinned to the inside of the centre of the 

 WTong row. For instance, in a series of twenty-five males and six 

 females, about five of the males might be pinned just sufficiently 

 to the left of the centre of the female row to attract attention to 

 the fact that they were not females. This still leaves room for 

 the subsequent insertion of a few of either sex without lengthening 

 the column. It has been usual to arrange a species in groups by 

 localities, the sex arrangement being adhered to. In the case of 

 a long series from one locality, some scheme of more or less con- 

 tinuous variation is often followed, say from light to dark, those 

 of opposite sexes which most closely resemble one another being 

 kept side by side. It may be observed that such an arrangement 

 leaves frequent blanks in one or other of the rows, giving a very 

 asymmetrical appearance, and in fact is not a paragon of neatness. 

 But the collection is intended essentially for study, and though 

 neatness is aimed at in most departures, utility and instructive- 

 ness are primarily considered. Some of the smallest species are 

 arranged three or four rows in a column instead of two. In some 

 of the cabinets the columns are divided by narrow strips of red 

 paper pinned on, but others, and all the boxes, are merely ruled 

 in ordinary lead pencil. Throughout the Noctuidse spaces have 

 been left for all known species, and every space has a name label. 

 The size of the spaces varies according to the probability of ac- 

 quisition in the near future, and also, unfortunately, in some genera 

 especially, to the space available, and the length of the series 

 already possessed. The size of spaces left for extension of series 

 is regulated for the most part by the degree of variation. Though 

 some cases have far more blanks than specimens, as a matter of 

 fact the collection as a whole is much more crowded than was at 

 first intended, and there is occasionally little or no room for ex- 

 tension. The columns also are too close together. All cases are, 

 of course, kept w^ell supplied with naphthaline. 



As very close attention is paid to variation, long series of the 

 more variable species are kept, there being in one or two instances as 

 many as two hundred and fifty, and that number is considered far 



