11 



Though, as we have heard, the society at 50 years of age is in a 

 very flourishing and active condition, it seems to me that more 

 might be made of the activities of its members than is done, that 

 more real work might be done. Too many of us are content merely 

 to follow in the steps of our predecessors and simply collect ; and 

 since a collection is not interesting unless nicely set, named and 

 arranged, we are much too much inclined to limit our collections to 

 that order in which the naming and arrangement are most easy of 

 accomplishment. I refer, of course, to the Lepidoptera. Now I do 

 not deny that there is still work to be done even with the 

 Lepidoptera, though too many of us do not even attempt that, but 

 are merely content to go on filling up vacancies. Yet while the 

 Lepidoptera are, I am afraid, over collected, other orders of insects, 

 almost any other order, are crying out for workers. The Coleoptera, 

 it is true, are fairly well worked, but even here there are vast 

 numbers of genera, let alone species, of which we know nothing of 

 the bionomics or life-history. It is, however, the more obscure 

 groups, some of the families of minute Hymenoptera and Diptera, 

 that stand most in need of collecting before we know even what 

 species are to be found in the country. 



Many of these "neglected orders" are neglected I know mostly 

 because of the difficulty of naming one's captures, but one of the 

 main objects of a Society like ours should be to put collectors of 

 little worked orders in communication with one another, so that 

 by mutual help and mutual discussion difficulties may be overcome. 



It is not only to the younger men that I appeal to specialise in 

 one of these neglected groups before they become involved in the 

 ruts of Lepidoptera, but often it is the older men who have more 

 leisure for the necessary preparation and investigation. The actual 

 collection of the material is not of paramount importance, since I 

 am sure that any member has only to announce that he is taking 

 up the study of one of these little-worked groups, and he will find 

 that material will very quickly crowd in upon him from all quarters. 

 The necessary literature is perhaps another difficulty, but again not 

 insuperable, as almost any work required may be obtained either 

 irom our Library or from that of the Entomological Society of 

 London. Indeed, it will probably be to a worker's advantage to 

 familiarise himself with these resources before starting on the 

 formation of a library of his own, as he will find that, except for 

 occasional reference, comparatively few works are so indispensable 

 that he must necessarily have a copy of his own. 



