ON THE VA'RIATION OF INSECTS. 245 



for the truly bisexual forms, an arrangement which will scarcely 

 be conceded by zoologists. It remains, then, to find a suitable 

 term for our pseudhermaphrodite insects. Mr. Jenner Weir {in 

 litt.) has alluded to them as " biformed." I would suggest, 

 however, that the terra " biformed " be used for varieties com- 

 bining two forms of one sex, as I have described under " g " 

 (Entom. 6), and that the pseudhermaphrodites be known as 

 " inter sexual " forms. 



Dr. John Hamilton {in litt., July 27, 1889) has sent me some 

 very interesting remarks on variation in size in Coleoptera, as 

 follows: — "Assimilation power has certainly much to do with it, 

 where the supply of food is unlimited; as, for example, I am 

 rearing Balaninus, and I find the same species varying in size 

 from '15 inch to '33 inch, bred from very large acorns, where all 

 the larvae in an acorn (from one to five) went into the ground 

 before the whole acorn was consumed. And, again, in raising 

 Longicorns and other beetles from wood, where all the larvae 

 have apparently an ample supply, it must be individual difference 

 in power of assimilation that produces such great differences in 

 size as often occur. But this will not altogether account for 

 racial differences, or differences of a geographical character ; as, 

 for example, Prionocyphon discoicleus, Say, is "20 inch in length, 

 and all the examples found in some locality will be about that 

 size, but in a neighbouring locality, not perceptibly different, all 

 found will not exceed '16 inch. Again, Uloma punctulata, as 

 found here (Allegheny, Pa.), is about one-fourth longer and 

 wider than the specimens from Florida and Georgia." 



And now, in conclusion, I would appeal to all entomologists 

 to take careful note of the varieties they meet with from time to 

 time, and especially the conditions under which they exist. If I 

 may make a suggestion in the matter, it is that a small committee 

 be appointed in London to receive and edit descriptions and 

 reports of varieties from all parts, and prepare a summary of 

 them for publication in the ' Entomologist,' At present the 

 records are scattered, and most of the finds remain unpublished ; 

 but how interesting it would be if we could have careful reports 

 compiled from hundreds of records, such as "Melanism in 1888," 

 " Comparison of size of northern and southern insects " ; and so 

 on through the whole imaginable series. The benefit to science 

 from such an arrangement would be immense, and it would be 

 easy to do it. Let the readers of the ' Entomologist ' nominate 

 their committee, and let the committee get about their work 

 without delay. A month lost can never be regained. What does 

 the editor say ? 



West Cliff, Colorado, U. S. A. 



