MOTHS ON APPLE TRUNKS. 181 



As to the composition of the Committee. There should be repre- 

 sentatives of all the chief countries of the world, wherever Entomology 

 is taken as a serious branch of studj% and from whence delegates are 

 elected to the Congrf ss. Probal)]y one representative from each would 

 be sufficient, with the addition of a secretary who would voluntarily 

 undertake the necessary correspondence. He must be a good linguist, 

 or have opportunities of getting translations, etc., done for him with 

 precision and accuracy. An endeavour should be made to get one or 

 more of the chief workers of the world in each of the orders most 

 generally studied, to be a member of the Committee. There should 

 also be a strong representative or two among museum workers and 

 editors of responsible journals. 



Another difficulty arises, and a rather big and important one, that 

 is, ways and means. There will be a certain amount of secretarial 

 expenses. The cost to the individual members of the Committee will 

 be merely an occasional letter, but the secretary will have a consider- 

 able amount, not only of postage, but of other expenses, such as typing 

 or copying, and this will have to be met. Probably a small grant 

 might be made from the funds of the Congress or the Secretary might 

 be recognised as one of the Officers of the Congress and his expenses 

 covered, as are those of other secretaries. 



There is one other point which appeals strongly for a decision, and 

 that is the limitation of any further research into Nomenclature. It 

 has become a thoroughly established rule that no name given previously 

 to Linne's 10th Edition of the Si/stenia Natiira, 1858, shall be accepted. 

 Research has now been going on for many years and all the important 

 faunistic papers and works since that date have been ransacked, or are 

 in process of being examined, so that there only remains a number of 

 less important contributions in obscure magazines to be consulted by 

 some future entomological bookworm with a desire to become notorious 

 as a nomenclatorial revolutionist. If some authoritative limitation 

 could be made to further research, or at least to the terrible wholesale 

 changes which are now just beginning to be made in some orders, a 

 great drawback to scientific advance would be minimised. 



This is really an appeal for simplicity. Let us build the house 

 first and see how it suits, afterwards furnish it in a becoming way. 

 Get the Committee appointed and limit the references to it to see how it 

 works the simple duties put upon it. Then when found to be reliable, 

 and when organised (a body so composed will want organising, and well 

 organising) and recognised generally as a thoroughly responsible body, 

 more duties can gradually be put upon it, and we shall possess a 

 permanent organisation which all, except an odd crank or two, will 

 recognise in whatever nomenclatorial work they may have in hand. 



Moths on trunks of apple trees. 



By ALFRED SICH, F.E.S. 



A few years ago I used to visit very frequently one of those 

 entomological paradises, a rather neglected garden. There wild 

 flowers, commonly called weeds, used to flourish in all the odd corners 

 and there the leaves of the apple, pear, whitethorn, and other trees, 

 having served their normal functions and fallen to the earth, were 

 allowed to remain undisturbed through the winter and spring. This 



