62 THE entomologist's record. 



to the books that this same member took out twenty per cent, more 

 specimens than he sent round besides those of his own that were 

 returned to him. Another member writes : — " I have lots of dups. 

 by me of good species, but I shall not send them round till I get 

 something as good." This collector never sent a perfect or well-set 

 specimen round once, and I dropped him. Another writes in a book 

 to hand a few days ago : — " I never got an insect from the boxes 

 worth putting into my cabinet." In four rounds this man has signed 

 for 117 specimens, and I will guarantee the condition from the names 

 on the boxes from which he took most of them. What a gratuitous 

 insult to other members who are nearly all more scientific lepidopterists 

 and better collectors than hmiself. 



Our waste box has been the greatest failure. The name was a mis- 

 nomer. It was meant to contain fine specimens of such species as any 

 straightforward collector would understand were not altogether suitable 

 for exchange. It has, in most instances, become a receptacle for the 

 most veritable rubbish, put into it by collectors who ought to know- 

 better, and give their fellow-members credit for the possession of a small 

 amount of common sense. I invariably burn all " rubbish " in these 

 boxes. The Rev. Mr. Hewett and Mr. Collins are our most advanced 

 practical exponents of the proper use of the " waste " box. Would 

 that those men who give us three-winged fiUpendiilce and broken 

 pennaria, geinina without scales and worn didyma, would once for all 

 understand that the presence of their rubbish is an insult, and that 

 they are wasting their generosity on the desert air. 



The "exhibition" box is in some baskets a grand success. Our 

 class No. 3 above, although rarely trusting their own beauties to the 

 tender mercies of the post, give unstinted admiration to the beautiful 

 exhibits very frequently made. I consider every member in a basket 

 should acknowledge the kindness of an exhibitor even if his natural 

 shyness prevent him admiring it because it is not his own. However, 

 most do now, although at first the most stolid silence was sometimes 

 observed. 



I suppose there is a period in the early part of almost every col- 

 lector's career when the sordid love of possession is one of the ruling 

 reasons for collecting, but in Natural History pursuits many soon get 

 beyond this. Of course those who do not, do us a great deal of harm, 

 and are more than useless in our ranks. They have nothing in common, 

 either with the amateur who does his little to help in unravelling the 

 facts around him by careful observation, or the professional who gets 

 his living by obtaining material for others to use. 



There is a good deal of clannishness among lepidopterists in those 

 districts where they most do congregate, but the individual nature 

 peeps out more in our note-books than is possible elsewhere, and 

 then the clannishness disappears. Scotch collectors are generally sup- 

 posed to be close. Our Scotch members practically disprove this in 

 every way, and never complain ; probably the greatest amount of un- 

 necessary complaint comes from some of the enthusiastic Londoners, 

 who don't think the postage worth paying unless they can get two or 

 three score insects each turn, although, of course, they are quite ready 

 to give their quid pro quo in return. 



We have still nine baskets circulating, of which one only can be 



