THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 197 



Canadian fauna, while it contains many specimens from the United 

 States and other countries. The collection of Lepidoptera is especially- 

 good and well named, having been revised by Mr. Grote before it was 

 sent to the Philadelphia Exhibition, in 1876. In Coleoptera and other 

 orders great care has been taken to have the specimens well named. The 

 collection is open to any one who desires to examine it. (2) The 

 collection of Lepidoptera in the National Museum at Ottawa is very good. 

 The nucleus was formed by the purchase of about 8,000 specimens from 

 Captain Gamble Geddes, of Toronto. It is now being added to by the 

 officers of the Geological Survey, who bring to it from time to time rare 

 specimens from out-of-the-way and little known regions. There are 

 several private collections of value, but it is unnecessary to specify them. 

 Mr. Fletcher agreed with Mr. Smith that " types " of new species should 

 be placed in some national collection where they would be accessible to- 

 all students. For his part he should always be glad in future, as in the 

 past, to place " types " whenever possible in the National Museum at 

 Washington. 



A discussion then arose as to what is meant by a " type." Mr. 

 Fletcher understands the term to mean all the specimens actually before 

 a describer when he is making out his description of a new species. 

 Some writers, however, call all specimens types that may afterwards be 

 identified by the describer as agreeing with the originals. Mr. Howard 

 agreed with Mr. Fletcher that only the material before a describer at the 

 time is to be called " type;" other specimens should be marked "deter- 

 mined by the author." Dr. Riley thought that all the materials deter- 

 mined by an author might be called " types of that species," provided 

 that they do not vary from the original specimens. Prof. Webster 

 considered that all typical material should be placed in some national 

 depository where it would be perfectly safe, and instanced the loss of the 

 Walsh collection by fire as a calamity to science ; collectors should be 

 willing to sacrifice their types for the general good of science. Mr. Smith 

 was also of opinion that only the specimens before the author at the time 

 of making the description are " types," and that specimens determined 

 afterwards are not really "types." Mr. Fletcher referred to Chinobas 

 Macounii as an example. Mr. W. H. Edwards had eleven specimens 

 before him when he described the species ; these are types, though most 

 of the specimens were imperfect. During the past summer the speaker 



