ON A Z()()LO(;iCAL SITRVEV. 427 



How little is known and how nuicli is still to be done may 

 be seen from facts based also on niy cwn collection, which I 

 tabulate here below. 



Number Number Number 



of Species of Named of Unnamed 



Genus or described from Species in my Species in my 



Sub-family. South Africa. Collection. Collection. 



II 8 42 



Crambus . . 



Scirpophaga 



Endotrichinae 



Acronyctinae 



Hadeninae 



Erastrianas . 



Nolinae . . . 



Lithosianse . 



Arctiadc-e 



Thvrididae 



I I 10 



I I 19 



172 91 over 160 



45 32 38 



179 108 118 



12 4 44 



61 36 65 



55 37 9 



15 6 21 



The above-mentioned examples are not isolated cases ; I 

 could have given many more, some even more striking, but the 

 large amount of unassorted material on hand prevented me 

 from giving these. However. I think it shows sufficiently : — 



(a) How much new material there is to be discovered if 

 all this can be accumulated by one private worker in a period 

 of about ten years. 



(b) How much material would escape our attention if no 

 systematic survey is made for it. 



If we come to the study of the insects, far less is done than 

 in the pure collecting line. Probably less than i per cent, of the 

 life histories are known of our insects, a vital point in deter- 

 mining their economic importance. Not a single order of South 

 African insects has been monographed yet, and the few families 

 that have been monographed, such as those of beetles and butter- 

 flies, can be counted on the lingers of one hand. 



The reason of all this, I think, is — 



(a) Insufficient material on hand. 



(b) Insufficient number of entomologists. 



To secure the first, such a zoological survey might map out 

 the country faunistically, and one or more of the existing 

 institutions, such as museums, might be made responsible for 

 the exploration of such a region. 



Regular expeditions might be arranged to explore syste- 

 matically, each department of research being attended to by the 

 proper specialist. Such a combination of specialists would be 

 more economic financially and more beneficial scientifically than 

 the present system, where one or two men go out and have to 

 cope one day with fishes, next with reptiles or birds, and in their 

 spare time catch beetles, gnats, or moths. 



