86 THE LEPIDOPTERIST 



quirement of Sphingidse, Bonibycidse and Noctuidae, 

 1 really became more interested in the Plusia group, 

 and in 1902 issued my monograph thereon, having 

 the pleasure of figuring at that time every valid 

 species found in Boreal North America, from photo- 

 graphs made by myself. In my own collection like- 

 wise I had every one of these species except two 

 unique types, one in the National Museum and the 

 other in the collection of Dr. Barnes, but both de- 

 scribed by myself. 



This work completed I fear that I lost interest some- 

 what. I kept my collection in good condition but I 

 dropped out of active collecting for thirteen years. 



Just at the outbreak of the war I was in London 

 and visited the British Museum and examined the 

 collection there. When I found numerous species 

 which I possessed, absent from this great collection, 

 all my ardor was resumed. 



On my return home I went through the literature 

 of the past thirteen years and discovered that in all 

 that time but three species had been described. 



About this time I was obliged to give up my house 

 and move into an apartment and for lack of room 

 was completed to abandon my general collection. I 

 determined however to keep the Plusias and resume 

 work thereon. And now at last comes the moral. 



I have had more pleasure in collecting during the 

 past two years than ever before. Of course one 

 cannot restrict captures to one's favorite group, but 

 one may say when taking a good thing, "This will 

 please my friend X" or ''this will please my friend 

 Y." Selfishness passes, and one is glad when away 

 in some distant mountain or at the sea shore to be 

 able to add perhaps to the collections of his friends. 



Then again the craze for collecting is just as well 

 satisfied with a small group as with a large collec- 

 tion. Who can ever hope, with a large collection 

 to obtain "the best collection in the world !" But 

 the specialist may still do this. He may also make 

 long series of specimens, recording variations, local 

 forms, etc., etc., until at length he finds that there is 



