16 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



CiDARiA RETICULATA MALFORMED. — I bred seven C. reticulata 

 last season, but they were all crij)ples, five being so much so thai 

 I never attempted to set them. I tried the others, and made 

 them as good as could be expected. I think this malfortation 

 must be owing to the very hot dry summer we had, for I never 

 bred so many cripples of various species as this season. I have 

 again taken the larvte, and hope to be more fortunate next year. 

 — H. Murray; Lowbank Villas, Carnforth, Nov. 11, 1887. 



Entomological Collections. — We have received several 

 further contributions upon the educational value of collections of 

 insects. It appears to us to be useless to further pursue the 

 question from the j)oint of view of setting-out insects. There 

 are a number of our readers who evidently quite agree that, for 

 scientific purposes, it is unnecessary to set insects before placing 

 them in collections. In that opinion we also agree, to some 

 extent, just as we think it desirable to have a poor text-book 

 rather than no guide. After all it must be better to have a well- 

 set and perfect collection of insects for reference, than one 

 where the specimens are difficult of observation on account of 

 the distortions, and uncertainty of correctly seeing all the parts, 

 from the cramped positions usually assumed when the specimens 

 are allowed to arrange themselves after death. Entomologists, 

 like botanists, have, through generations of experience, come to 

 carefully set out specimens for observation and comparison, 

 because such practice was most convenient. Lepidoptera are 

 decidedly more easily observed when set out, though flat-setting 

 seems better than that generally adopted in this country. If left 

 to themselves, much the larger portion dry with the posterior 

 wings either partially or wholly covered by the anterior pair. Of 

 course it is quite scientifically correct to keep a collection of 

 insects in spirits of wine, like Crustacea; but there are few 

 private students who can afford space for a separate vessel for 

 each species so arranged, neither are they so accessible ; nor 

 could we afford to wait for them to dry when it is desired to 

 compare with nearly allied species, even if such were possible 

 after their immersion, Lepidoptera for instance. The whole 

 question seems to be one of students and collectors. Each is 

 useful to the other, and a collection of specimens has no more 

 intrinsic scientific value to an entomologist than dictionaries have 



