NOTES ON THE CAPTURE OF RARE SPECIES IN 1858. Ill 



The astonishing increase in the number of individuals who 

 collect insects must eventually, we trustfully hope, include a 

 far greater number who study them, and we look forward 

 confidently to the day when the now neglected orders will 

 have numerous votaries, earnestly and successfully investi- 

 gating them ; a deep and never failing interest attaches to all, 

 but those whose inclinations or occupations only suffer them 

 to look upon the most beautiful of the Insect-World, almost 

 of necessity attach themselves to the Lepidojitera ; this 

 order has its students, and ardent ones too, but its admirers 

 out-number those attached to all the other orders united. 

 From this amazing increase of collectors, however, many 

 benefits to science arise ; the working dealer is sent into 

 remote and unexplored localities, and thus objects new to 

 our Fauna are frequently brought to light. This is con- 

 solatory, but we cannot hide from ourselves the fact, that too 

 many exclusively devote their energies to the acquisition of 

 specimens, which once obtained, all their ends and aims are 

 accomplished. Others, possessing rich and valuable col- 

 lections, earnestly and patiently investigate their treasures, 

 studiously they work out the names of recorded species, and 

 satisfactorily they ascertain, which are new to science, but at 

 this point they halt, and no result of their labours falls to the 

 lot of the Entomological public — don't " they manage these 

 things better in France ?" 



During the past season we have had an opportunity of 

 investigating a portion of the Suffolk coast, at and in the 

 neighbourhood of Lowestoft ; this may be appropriately 

 called a sandy region, pre-eminently promising of fossorial 

 Hymenoptera ; the results of our short campaign will show 

 that we were not wrong in selecting this spot for the purpose 

 of collecting that family. 



