144 THE ENT()M()I,()(;1ST's HKt'OKU. 



('raiiibiis fidiiiellii.s : ('. caswntinii'Uxx .- ('. iilif/ind.'^ellii.'i \ ('. pratillus ab. 

 alfacarellua : ('. pasciiellii>i : P. rcnisxcllns ; PJniris suhurnatella : A. iiiol- 

 davica : Scoparia ainhvfiialix : S. <liibitalis : Pi/ralix terrealU ; P. 

 flavctlu : P. fcrriii/alis : T. jiollincilis : Mecijna polj/fiovalis : Pjiraiisfa 

 ccfipitalis : P. scauininalis : P. alh(n-ivnlaiiH, Can ales ; P. anstriacab's : 

 Stenia jutnctalh : I'l/riijisi/r/n' iiidiica nnella, Monca,yo ; J\(ieria anilifornir 

 {crpiipifort)}if<),C-Anables; (hi/ptilns t ri at is, common ; IK laetiis, 'Monca.yo, 

 etc.; ( K fiiloseUae, Monc&yo ; Kiunaeiiiidophoriis rhodndactyla, Horia; 

 Aliuita trtradarfi/la : Stenoptilia fiisnis. A few Tineidsand Tortrices have 

 been sent to Mr. Durrant. 



Sale of an Entomological Library. 



Iiooks are the index of a man's mind. A <>lfince al a man's library 

 will tell almost exactly the mentaJ equipment and intellectual capacity 

 of the man. The advertised sale of the library of the late Dr. P. Brooites 

 Mason, at Stevens' sale-rooms, on May 17th, reminds us at once that 

 another of the best entomolof,'ical libraries in this country is to be broken 

 up, and that, in a short time, this country will be the poorer by the loss 

 of those volumes that will find their way into the libraries of the Con- 

 tinent and of America. The last sale of equal importance was that of 

 the library of the late Mr. H. T. Stainton, when many of the best 

 entomological works were bought by the dealers at prices far below 

 the lowest possible standard of value that could at all fairly be placed 

 upon them, and were at once included in special sale catalogues at 

 their true prices, often from five to ten times above that that had been 

 paid for them, and, one surmises, found no lack of buyers (possibly 

 mostly abroad), if one may judge by the fact that in scarcely one case 

 was a second offer made of them. The low prices at which most of 

 the books were sold in the sale-rooms suggest elocjuently how few 

 scientific entomologists there are in this country, for one has not long 

 to live in the entomological world to learn that the number of really 

 good entomological libraries in tliis country is exceedingly few. and 

 can ))ossil)ly be counted on the fingers of the hands. It has long since 

 passed into a provei'b among naturalists that '' A collector is known 

 by his specimens, the savant by his microscope and books " ; and one 

 feels that only those who have ample collections for private work, and 

 an extensive library for continuous study and reference, can ever reach 

 a high place in the branch of science they study, or prosecute any line 

 of original i-esearch with a fair prospect of lasting success. It is a 

 remarkable fact that few men appeal' to l)ay books for study, and one 

 is inclined to think that the numerous entomological societies scattered 

 through tbe country do little or nothing to foster real research. So 

 far as one can judge, the additions to their libraries are largely modern 

 works, which any entomologist worthy the name will buy for himself, 

 whilst the best works of the old masters — Linne, Keaumur, (ieottroy, 

 Hlibner, Esper, Hasvorth, Curti-, Stephens, Herrich-Schiifier, etc. — 

 with which our younger lepidopterists should be tempted to become 

 conversant, are usually sought in vain on the bookshelves (and what 

 is true of works on lepidoptera is still more so in the case of those 

 relating to the less-worked orders) ; and, whilst a long series of modern 

 present-day magazines (which any good library committee would 

 recognise the more intelligent of its members possessed) is generally 



