The Scottish Naturalist. 251 



method of collecting and preserving. His love of purposelessly 

 amassing entomological wealth will grow upon him little by 

 little, and the spirit of rivalry will foster the cacoethes collige?idi 

 (the name by which this particular form of madness is distin- 

 guished), till the mere desire of possessing will alone remain. 

 So he will go on from year to year adding largely to his collec- 

 tion, infinitesimally to his knowledge, till he has succeeded in 

 possessing a cabinet to be proud of, full of things of which he 

 knows nothing but the name, fondly imagining that he is de- 

 voting himself to the study of entomology, but contributing in 

 no wise to the satisfaction of that 



" — desire that tends to know 

 The works of God, thereby to glorify 

 The great workmaster, "* 



which first induced him to devote his attention to this matter. 



That such a spirit too often actuates collectors of insects is 

 to be deplored, but cannot be denied. I cannot better illus- 

 trate the truth of it, than by relating an incident which occurred 

 in my own experience some years ago. I was returning one 

 evening, accompanied by a friend, from a visit to a favourite 

 locality for plants, and on passing a small plantation, we saw 

 two or three Lepidopterists among the trees netting moths. 

 Though they were strangers, we ventured to ask if they were 

 taking any interesting specimens ; the reply was characteristic, 

 " Nothing new, but some good things for exchange" ! " Shades 

 of Kirby and Spence" we exclaimed, shedding copious tears 

 (in the spirit) " did ye labour for this ? " 



Three-fourths of our entomologists devote themselves en- 

 tirely to the butterflies and larger moths. " Entomology " in- 

 deed has come almost to signify " Lepidopterology," and we 

 could have no stronger proof than this of the mistaken ideas 

 that prevail as to what the study really is. for it is evident that 

 the Macro-Lepidoptera, really the least interesting of groups, 

 because least varied in their habits and structure, are chosen as 

 subjects for attention from their attractive colours, the compara- 

 tive ease with which they are to be obtained and the ' show ' 

 which a few of them make. 



If I might be permitted to offer advice to the student entering 



* Paradise Lost. 



