50 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST S KECORl). 



did any of those gciitlumuii lueutioiiud by Lim at uuy time iii tlieir 

 careers ; and tins, in spite of the fact that in the " good okl days " books 

 were scarce, and there was a class of people who Avere really thankful 

 to these benevolent gentlemen for their charity (in the form of named 

 '*■ tj^pes "), but who would now scorn to be recipients of their bounty. 

 I refer here to the better educated collectors Avho, Avith the text-books 

 now published, can name their own captures, but avIio, before tlie days 

 of The Manual and '* NeAvman," were entirely at the mercy of loosely- 

 worded Latin descriptions, unless they could afford Humphrey and 

 Westwood's expensiA-e Avork. Tlie adA-ent of books has made such 

 Avholesale generosity less necessary, and the particular phase of it to 

 which I have just alluded, al)Solutely unnecessary; but this does not 

 show that the generous-minded lepidoi)terist is not as keen as ever in 

 helping those Avho really want material for scientific study and investi- 

 gation. As for giving types of butterflies to those people Avho pretend 

 to study entomology but are too mean to l)uy a shilling text-l)Ook and find 

 out the names of their captures for themseh-es, well, we are tliankful that 

 the good old times are altered, and that people have to look up the matter 

 for themselves. To Avant types of well-defined species such as exist among 

 Sphiixjidae and Sesiklar, is ridiculous ; the species are clearly defined in 

 the A'ery cheapest text-books, and such an application only shoAvs the 

 peeping out of " grab " referred to below. Let beginners show that they 

 have some grit in them, b}^ Avorking the si)ecies up for themselves, and 

 let them possess their souls in patience until their zeal leads them to 

 success. Tlie use of " types" of a fcAv of the species of Leucania and 

 Eupithecia, or of some of the smaller fry, is permissilile, as there is a 

 real difiiculty in identifying some of these with certainty from de- 

 scriptions. That the generosity, which gaA-e aAvay so-called " types " 

 and encouraged laziness, has died out, is a cause for much thankfulness. 

 We may certainly have fewer so-called entomologists, but those Ave 

 ha\'e are a better lot. That generosit}^ in lepidopterists has not abated 

 one iota, I can affirm from my own knoAvledge. ProbalJy no one, 

 during the last fcAv years, has attempted more Avork re([uiring abundant 

 material than myself. The British Noctnae and their Varieties is enough 

 to proA'e my point. Dui'ing the three years Avhich T spent over that 

 work, I had some two thousand s})eciniens in the finest condition, some of 

 great rarity, and all of tlie utmost service as representing species from 

 localities Avhich I had not Avoi'ked, giA'en me freely, Avithout ho|)e oi a 

 return. Three or four thousand more were sent to me in exchange for 

 what I could spare ; I did my best, Avhich I am afraid Avas only a bad 

 "best," but no one complained of it. Last year I asked for material 

 connected Avith Ih'itish Imtterfiies, my aim being to get out some 

 scientific j^articulars relating to this group, Avith the stated intention of 

 publication. One-half the BritisJi butterfiies Avere sent to me in one or 

 other of the earlier stages, and some gentlemen must Iuiac spent a con- 

 siderable sum of money, as avcII as putting themselves to inconvenience, 

 in supplying my Avants. I maintain, therefore, that the generous race 

 of entomologists has not passed aAvay. The adA'anco of education has 

 directed their generosity into other channels, through Avhicli it has 

 aided in the ju'oduction of scientific Avork, rather than in encouraging 

 another feather-bed collector or tAvo to make a collection, which he will 

 inspect through £. s. d. spectacles, and at Avhich he will onl}' glance 

 with satisfaction, Avhen he can determine that he has made it at a i)rofit 

 based on the gidlibility of his friends (?) and correspondents. 



