196 Prof. Frey, and some American Tencina. 



The Professor informs us that, as far as practicable, he has compnred 

 the species described by him with the descriptions of Brackenridge, 

 Clemens, Chambers, and others, but much, in fact most, is left "in un- 

 certainty by these short and defective descriptions." Now, taking this 

 broeJmre as a fair specimen (which we hope and believe it is not) of the 

 Professor's work, the shame of American Micro-Lepidopterists would be 

 great indeed, if their labors, either in the way of descriptive Avork, or in 

 careful original investigation, should be found to fall to the low level 

 of this little pamphlet, which, for the Professor's reputation, had better 

 have remained "in the womb of time forever." It would be easy 

 work for any Micro-Lepidopterists to determine by a single comparison 

 of the descriptions in this pamphlet, with as many taken at random 

 from the descriptions of Dr. Clemens, which is most justly chargeable 

 Avith " brevity and uncertainty, and defectiveness and obscurity." 

 The Professor is profuse of good advice to Americans, to look to Europe 

 and European authors, and to what they have done as our ensamples ; 

 but, unfortunately, this pamphlet does not incline us to look further in 

 that direction, and I shall show such miserable carelessness, or in- 

 capacity, on the Professor's part to learn what has been done by Dr. 

 Clemens and others in this country, that it will not be necessary to 

 comment on the absurdity of the dictum quoted above. 



Now, our subjects, the "micros," are very little, but one thing is yet 

 smaller, one that has appeared to me the infinitely little — and that is 

 the practice of indulging in personal quarrels among naturalists about 

 their work, the practice of calling hard names, and of accusing each 

 other of all the crimes named in the decalogue, and many not there 

 named, as e. g., of stealing each others species; that is, giving a new 

 name, or it may be, a new description to a species already well known, 

 and then attaching the name of the author of a new description to the 

 name with which he has rechristened the old species, like a tail to a 

 kite, or as if the author expected the rechristened insect to fly away 

 into immortality, bearing the author's name with it. Authors' quar- 

 rels do no one aii}^ good, the authors themselves become ridiculous, 

 they batter each other with bad names, and make their readers laugh 

 at them, if they do not become too much disgusted for laughter. I there- 

 fore shall have no quarrel with Prof. Frey, on account of the unfounded 

 charges against American Micro-Lepidopterists above mentioned, 

 nor on account of any injury, real or supposed, done to me by his lit- 

 tle pamphlet, but for the sake of the truth of history, and to prevent 

 mistakes and confusion into which the pamphlet might lead future in- 

 vestigators as to nomenclature, habits of insects, etc., the paniphlet 

 must have criticism. In fact, I do not think that the charges of ob- 



