104 THE ENTOMOLOGIST, 



pure pursuit is getting more dishonest than English horse- 

 dealing. 



A proof of the deterioration of the manners of most of our 

 collectors is that they are now generally considered, by 

 the non-entomological public, as persons of questionable 

 character. A gentleman, maybe perhaps one of large inde- 

 pendent property, or perhaps a "reverend divine," is staying 

 with his family at a village; ere he exhibits his deadly 

 weapons he is considered quite comme il faut, but let him 

 once show his amusement he is immediately dubbed as 

 "only a fly-catcher;" he is snubbed by the world in general, 

 and looked at by all as some one to be carefully avoided. 

 This is no mere conjecture, as I have repeatedly of late 

 noticed it in various parts of England. 



While collecting last year, in the Hampshire woods, I 

 came across a dealer that I well knew. On showing him my 

 night's total captures at sugar, Mr. Z. remarked, with an 

 indescribably sly chuckle: "Oh, yes! Ah! He, he! but 

 the other box;" insinuating that I had another private fuller 

 box in my pocket. This is not said against the dealers ; by 

 no means ; but merely to show what little faith they now have 

 in the word of amateurs, so much dissembling and deceit are 

 there among them. 



1 knew a gentleman, of considerable standing in the ento- 

 mological world, who succeeded in obtaining from a boy a 

 somewhat mutilated specimen of a very rare butterfly; it was 

 caught at the end of the gentleman's garden. On exhibiting 

 it at one of our entomological meetings, a whisper was 

 immediately started insinuating that it was very much like an 

 imported German specimen ; this remark soon developed 

 itself in quiet corners into " decidedly German !" All this 

 shows there is in the present day much deception among 

 collectors. 



Those who may chance to read these few hasty remarks 

 will perhaps say: "What is the use of thus complaining?" 

 To which 1 reply: "Can we not start a new clique of 

 collectors, who, throwing aside all contamination they may 

 have imbibed from the modern school, will follow the Science 

 in its original and pure manner, arrange their gatherings for 

 a day's sport, and collect or exchange in the style of the 

 'good old times?'" 



H. Ramsay Cox. 



