LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. 327 



three from the Messrs. Fenn's collection. I wonder whether the 

 Messrs. Fenn's collection ever had three exigna, or whether there was 

 only one in it when it was sold ? P. leucophcca, " fine " says the catalogue. 

 Luperina gueneei, two ; and L. dumeriU, one, with another doubtful one ; 

 and then four HydriUa pa/Hsf)v's. Well I'm glad to see some good, 

 honest, N. suhrosea once again ; 13 of them, eh ! and 11 Cerastis erythro- 

 ■cephala. Then 18 Dianthcecia barrettii. But there are some eye-openers. 

 Three Hadena satnra, and five H. peregrina, whilst here are some Xylina 

 conformis " large light var." What does that gentleman say over my 

 ■shoulder ? " Continental type " it sounded like, but I'm not sure ; and 

 then two X. zinclcenii. What is this ? CuculUa artemisio', and 12 C. 

 gnaphah'i. Then comes Acontki solan's, four Micra ostrina, three M, 

 paula, and still further, two Ophiodes lunaris, two Catephia alchymista, 

 •eight Catocala fraxini, and 14 Madopa salicalis. What is this ? A 

 Zandognatlia emortualis, and there are four D. ramhurialis, and two A. 

 catalaunalis. " Only reputed British " says a voice over my shoulder 

 again. " But that means a few specimens in every one's collection who 

 is willing to buy," says his companion, " but never mind about that, 

 these repandalis are pi'obably right." My breath is nearly gone again. 

 Let us see who are responsible for these. Muscidosa, well I can't find 

 •out ; vitellina, aj^parently Mr. Rogers ; L. extranea, needs no sponsor, 

 but l-album, from Mr. Edney. Good old El Dorado ! Good old cathedral 

 city ! and here's leucophea from the same district. What work Messrs. 

 Parry, Wigan and Edney jjut in in those glorious years 18G7 to 1872 ! 

 I wonder why the district collapsed so suddenly after the letters in the 

 Entom. and E.M.M. about our lovely Kent specimens. Gueneei, original 

 specimens, but how, when and where concerning dumerili? H, palus- 

 tris, Mr. Woods and Mr. Weaver ; but C. erythrocephala, how, when and 

 where again ? Satura, without data, well that's too bad, but Mr. Wigan 

 takes one of the peregrina ; who took the others ? eh ! Ostrina and 

 paula. Freshwater, Well ! what's that Mr. Hodges doing ? Alchy- 

 mista, Mr. Harris vouches were taken at Bembridge. Mr. Parry and 

 Mr. Hodgkinson become responsible for some of the C. fraxini, but rare 

 Pykalides don't need any sponsors. Well ! I've had a liberal education 

 during the last few hours. I've been in the fields all my life, but what 

 odds on Messrs Button, Edney, Wigan and Parry, from 1867 to 1872 ? 

 What's become of them ? Now let us have a look and listen to the talk 

 of these deep-thinking scientists, scattered about the room. 



Ah ! here's a man I've met out in the woods. Tall and thin, with 

 bent shoulders, whose appearance suggests the midnight oil and who I 

 know hasn't money enough to buy. " Come to have a look round," 

 he says to me, and then in answer to a query of mine he replies, " Who 

 are all these people ? I don't know. I've seen some of them before. 

 Tall, thin old gentleman over there ? Said to have the finest collection 

 of rarities and varieties in the country, picks them up here chiefly from 

 old collections which are sold without much advertisement and when 

 there is but little competition. Two tall men yonder about five-and- 

 thirty or a little more ? Both got plenty of money. Elder one has a 

 magnificent collection, one of the best micro collectors in the country, 

 his younger friend almost as good a man, buying very largely just now. 

 That strongly built young fellow just joined them ? Yes ! he knows 

 how to use his strength too ; I saw him once accidentally topple a six- 

 foot Maori over his head at Blackheath — splendidly keen lepidopterist 



