NOTES ON COLLECTING, ETC. 61 



There is only one other ])oint iu uur eurrcfspoudeiit's letter which I 

 would discuss, ;uid that is, his "genus 'grab.'" I have touched on it 

 above, but is it not really the natural outcome of the misiilaced generosity 

 which our friend so much dejilores, or has it not a still deeper origin 

 situated deep down in our national life ? Education, so-called, has the 

 tendency at the present time to resolve itself into a })rocess of driving 

 into students the greatest ijossible amount of information in the shortest 

 possible time. The digestion and assimilation of the mental food are 

 of no consequence ; superficial results are the only things aimed at. 

 Everything is to be made easy ; our teachers have to simplify, dilute 

 and pour in knowledge ready for use ; we, the students, have only to 

 imbibe as mucli of it as possible. Not an effort do we put forth. The 

 student leaves school ; he becomes say, a lejiidopterist ; immediately he 

 goes off to some well-known man, taking his bugs to be named, because, 

 forsooth, it Avould take too long to search out their names for himself. 

 The mental training thus given is nil. There is a short cut, and the 

 young student (?) takes it as a matter of course, thinking little and 

 caring less Avhat trouble he is putting his mentor to. Besides, why 

 should he get a book? It is sixpence or a shilling saved if he can 

 borrow it, and this leads ns straight to the '' grab " development. The 

 first part of our education is a sort of sucking-in or rather soaking-up 

 l)rocess, in which the student, more or less, resembles a sponge. When 

 this has reached a certain point the second begins, and may be summarised 

 in the one word "grab." (.)ur social system demands" gTab." Those 

 who get the largest amount of this world's goods, " grab." Englishmen 

 are noted the wide world over for their pushing capacity ; in other Avords, 

 for their " grab." Why, then, should our correspondent complain at 

 what has ])een elevated into a national virtue, or su])pose, that wliat are 

 the exigencies of one situation, will bo altered by the individual when 

 his energy is directed into another channel. The man who never buys a 

 Avork because he can Ijorrow it, he, who never takes in a magazine because 

 a friend will lend it, he, who never subscribes to a Society because he can- 

 not regularly attend the meetings, he, who Avill help in no movement 

 having the general advance of our science as its object because he is 

 not an active participator, are all equally governed by " grab." But to 

 suppose that such men are naturalists or liave even the instinct of one. 

 Ugh ! It makes one Avho revels in the sunshine, who delights in fields 

 and flowers, shudder. Poverty is their excuse but it is a lame one, as 

 those can vouch who know Avhat Avork s(jme really })00r men do. 



With the rest of our correspondent's article I (cordially agree, l)ut to 

 suppose that generosity is dead amongst entomologists, Avill not do. 

 My Avider experience teaches me a A'ery different lesson. Xature still 

 has her devotees, ricli and poor, Avho loA-e her for her oAvn sake, and 

 Avho attempt to read her secrets, in spite of the parody on tlie students 

 of Nature, Avhich the genus " grab " represents. — J. W. Tutt. 



Notes Relating to the Past Season. 



Sheeriie.ss and Rochester. — A. nice series of Poijonus Inridipenni's Avas 

 taken at Sheerness in August. Coleo})tera were, on the Avhole, scarce 

 in the neighbourhood of Rochester, — S. Kipping, HolsAvorthy, Devon, 

 Jamiary 20th, 1894. 



Oxon, Bucks (ind Somerset. — Ayrolia obxcnra (rartda) first appeared 



