240 [March, 1879. 



I think the opinion, several times published by me, that the " Selicopst/che-csises" 

 now known from nearly all quarters of the globe, might prove to be the work of 

 more than one genus of insects, will prove correct. The European insect is perhaps 

 not quite congeneric with that bred in North America, and it may be that the latter 

 should take the naine Thelidomus, employed by Swainson iu 1840 for American 

 cases, under the idea that they were shells. 



I may add, that I possess a not yet fully examined insect from Saxony that 

 probably will prove to be a Helicopsyche, and if so, I see no reason why we may not 

 detect this remarkable form iu the dribbling springs of some part of the south of 

 England or south-west of Ireland. — E. McLachlan, Lewisham : Feb. 12tJi, 1878. 



British Collectors. — We want, besides the excellent papers descriptive of new 

 exotic species which have too exclusively filled our pages, records of observations on 

 habits, life-histories, and geogi-aphical distribution of insects ; on local variation, its 

 causes and results; nai'ratives of entomological excursions and captures ; observations 

 on structure, functions, and instinct ; relations of insects to flowers ; and, in short, 

 on all such subjects as are interesting to the greater number, as distinguished from de- 

 scriptive papers which are interesting only to the lesser number. In saying this, I 

 am fully aware of the difficulties that lie in the way of obtaining these good things. 

 Our Secretaries and Council would be very glad to get fairly well-written and original 

 papers on any of these subjects, but they do not come. The reason of tliis, no doubt, 

 lies in a state of things which has often been lamented : namely, the too-exclusive 

 devotion of oiu- native entomologists to the formation of purely British collections. 

 The exhaustion of our limited insular fauna, and the extreme unlikelihood of the 

 discovery of new species, seem to teach no lesson to the purely British collector, and 

 he goes on collecting, observing, and recording what has been collected, observed, and 

 recorded over and over agaiji. Some, it is satisfactory to notice, break through the 

 artificial limits imposed by the majority, and extend the range of their excursions 

 and observation to the continent. The ice once broken this way, a boundless field of 

 interesting study lies before them ; for, by exchange and a trifling outlay of pocket- 

 money, large collections can be formed and the mind expanded by the study of the 

 whole Palsearctic Fauna, of which that of the British Isles is only a half-starved 

 fragment. Even if it were only for the pleasure of tracing the wonderful local 

 variations, the formation of sub-races and races of our common English insects, some 

 of them of surprising beauty, over the wider continental area, one would think that 

 every intelligent entomologist with us would be eager thus to extend his studies. 

 And it could be done with no more expenditure of time and very little more* of 

 money than the present exclusive pursuit of home productions. Many, of course, 

 would plead that they collect insects only for pure amusement, caring nothing for 

 science. To such we have nothing further to say. But we believe and hope that 

 there are very many British collectors and observers of insects who are able and 

 willing to take a higher view of their pursuit, and if wecoidd only induce a sufficient 

 number of these to take a more general interest in the study, to write papers for us, 

 and join us, the reciprocal good efl'ect which we aim at, viz., the enlargement and 

 improvement of our " Transactions," and thereby the further increase of members 

 and means, would be produced, thus, as we hope, elevating the status of entomology 

 in this country. — Extracted from the Address of the late President of the Entomo- 

 logical Society of London, on the loth January, 1879. 



6bitu;trir. 



Frederick Smith died on the morning of the 16th of February, after a surgical 

 operation, at the age of 73. For the moment we make simply the foregoing an- 

 nouncement ; an extended notice will appear in our next No. 



* Very mucli less, in the majority of cases.— Eds. 



