1904: ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 71 



posit as complete a series and as perfect specimens as are to be obtained in 

 Washington, where not only Is every courtesy extended to Canadian stu- 

 dents bj the officers in charge of the different departments, but better pro- 

 visions are made for safe-guarding the specimens, than anywhere else. 



Mr. Kearfott has taken a special interest in Canadian species and has 

 kindly supplied me with the following condensed report of his work during 

 the past year. Mr. Kearfott also makes the following generous ofEer : — 

 "I have still a supply of separates of my 'Suggestions for Setting, Collect- 

 ing and Breeding Micro-Lepidoptera,' which were published in Entomolo- 

 gical News. I shall take pleasure in mailing a copy of these to anyone 

 who will take the trouble to write and ask for it." 



Mr. Kearfott writes as follows : — 



"The acceptance of Dr. Fletcher's kind invitation to contribute a few 

 notes on this subject, gives me the opportunity to congratulate the Cana- 

 dian entomologists upon the rapid development of a wide spread interest in 

 the study of and desire to know more about these the most beautiful of all 

 of our Lepidoptera ; and at the ^ame time to thank all of them and express 

 my obligation for the many opportunities given me for studying large and 

 small collections from many localities, between Montreal and Vancouver. 

 It is, of course, natural that interest in these small moths should awaken 

 last; first, because it was necessary to acquire proficiency by handling and 

 expanding the larger ones, and second, the very great difficulty, heretofore 

 of getting specimens named. I know by experience that collectors have 

 little use for species that have to be stored in their 'unknown' boxes, and to 

 maintain the interest and incite greater enthusiasm the supply of 

 names must be equal to the demand. Students in America have been very 

 greatly handicapped, in the work of identification, by reason of the 

 fact that descriptions are scattered through many publications, the majority 

 European, and that the types likewise are not readily available for com- 

 parison. For instance, in the Tortricids, of which there are about five hun- 

 dred species in Dyar's Catalogue less than ten per cent, of the types are in 

 public museums, the balance being in inaccessible private collections in this 

 country or in European collections. Hence, the doubt that must oftentimes 

 remain, even after repeated readings of a description, which would be in- 

 stantly dispelled by the sight of the type. It is my ambition to push these 

 clouds of doubt and uncertainty away, and in their place let in the flood of 

 sunlight of popular knowledge, and, to do so, purpose trying to build up at 

 least two collections : one at the National Museum Washington, and lone at the 

 Entomological Society of Ontario's rooms at London, by depositing co-types 

 or carefully compared named specimens where anyone can freely go and ask 

 no favor. This work must necessarily be slow, but, with the continued as- 

 sistance of my good friends in Canada, it will be expedited to the full extent 

 of my ability. There is an explanation running through these remarks 

 that will be recognized as an apologyby some, whose specimens have been 

 retained apparently entirely too long, but, it must be remembered, that even 

 those of lis who have worked the hardest over descriptions and structural 

 characters, are little more than beginners, yet groping along in the dark, 

 thinking they are sure of an identification one day and doubtful the next, but 

 always hoping and waiting for the something to turn up that will evolve 

 certainty out of doubt. 



For all of these reasons, a list of notable captures, ife not an easy thing 

 to prepare, practically all Micro-Lepidoptera captures are notable, inas- 

 much as Canadian records are almost entirely barren of their names. But 



