218 



THE EN'TOMOLOGIST S RECORD. 



pale buff, which turns to blackish after death ; ivory-like forms are 

 known from Transcaucasia (subsp. ehnmea) and South America (siibsp. 

 lii'ida and xaiithopiis) ; the head varies from pale yellowish to black ; 

 the pronotum from tawny to black ; w'ith or without a pale border or 

 median reddish band ; the elytra vary from tawny to black ; a narrow 

 reddish band is usually visible ; the wings (w'hen developed) may be 

 buff or brown, plain or black-spotted ; the abdomen tawny, with faint 

 dark band, or dark chestnut, with or without a band, or black-; small 

 wonder that so protean a kind, with a universal distribution, has been 

 described and named times without number. 



The common earwig, Fdrlicida anricularia, is distributed through- 

 out Europe, and Western Asia, and Northern America, and now is 

 establishing itself in North America and New Zealand, yet it varies 

 very little. The only colour variation that I know is one from the 

 Levant, in which the abdomen, instead of being of a deep claret colour, 

 is a brilliant light chestnut. 



In Prnlahia ainiiilata, the elytra are of a plain blackish-brown 

 (" L. aiciutta"), or shining lustrous purple (" L. chali/bea"}. 



Pale and feebly developed specimens have probably suffered from 

 insufficient nouiishment during the earlier instars, or else they may be 

 individuals that have been wounded when tender from fresh emergence 

 from the nymphal skin. 



A few Notes in Reply to Dr. Verity's " Answer." 



By GEORGE WHEELEE, M.A., F.L.S., F.E.S. 



I am not quite sure whether it is wise to continue this discussion, 

 however interesting and however tempting it may be to do so, since I 

 believe that in his main contentions Dr. Verity stands alone among 

 entomologists, but perhaps it Avould be as well to make a final attempt 

 to clear up the matter so far as present practical possibilities are 

 concerned. 



It seems to me that Dr. Verity has lost sight of the fact that the 

 whole system of "types" is purely conventional, and has no sciodific 

 value whatever. If he replies that it ought to have, I can only say 

 that I entirely agree with him, and have long ago argued the matter 

 at length {Ent. Record, xvi., pp. 200, 231, and Butts, of Switz., Intro- 

 duction). I believed then, and still believe, that the whole system is 

 unscientific and absurd, but I am quite convinced that neither he nor I 

 have the power to make any alteration in the generall}' accepted plan, and 

 that we must accept the usual conventions at their received valuation. 

 The whole question has been greatly complicated bj' the controversies 

 on " nimotypical " races, but for this a great mitigation has been 

 adopted in some quarters by naming everi/ race of a species, the original 

 specific name belonging equally to all, but not to the particular race 

 originally described any more than to every other form of the same 

 species. The general acceptance of this plan would no doubt remove 

 Dr. Verity's objections to the present use of some specific names, and 

 also many other difficulties raised by other writers. Meanwhile, if 

 Dr. Verity will reflect that the whole system is one of convention, he 

 will, I think, see that it is to the general advantage of stability in 

 nomenclature to accept those conventions w^hich have been agreed upon 

 by almost universal consent, one of which regulates the question as to 



