110 COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION OF INSECTS. 



termination to his labours and his hopes, he must have an 

 abundant supply of camphor and spirits of turpentine, and 

 must enclose his boxes in a tin case, so carefully fitted that 

 the most minute insect will fail to find an entrance. 



The entomologist visiting foreign countries cannot be too 

 particular in recording the exact locality of each capture ; 

 and in reference to this important subject, the author begs 

 to be allowed to quote the following excellent observations 

 by Mr. Doubleday, from the 2nd volume of the ' Entomolo- 

 gical Magazine.' 



" Perhaps there is no branch of Entomology more worthy 

 of attention than the geographical distribution of insects ; 

 yet this is totally disregarded by almost every entomologist. 

 He who carefully excludes from his collection of British 

 insects every doubtful species, arranges in his exotic cabi- 

 net species after species, genus after genus, without once 

 thinking of indicating the part of the world whence they 

 have been obtained ; or, if he does note this, it is in so ge- 

 neral a manner that little is to be learnt from it, — a line of 

 one of six different colours, which serve to indicate Europe, 

 Asia, New Holland, Africa, and North and South America, 

 being thought abundantly sufficient. 



" In Dejean's ' Catalogue des Coleopteres' we certainly 

 find the native country of each species pointed out rather 

 more clearly ; but sometimes, even there, we are left to 

 guess as to what part of a region, extending over 50° of la- 

 titude, and as many of longitude, and offering, at its two 

 extremities, a difference of 30° Fahr. of temperature, is the 

 principal station of an insect. Besides this deficiency in 

 exactness, there is an omission of still more consequence : 

 — no notice is taken of the range over which a species 

 extends. 



" From this want of care and accuracy in pointing out 

 that country which is the principal station of a species, and 



