sa 



THE NATURALIST. 



them to be two kinds, wliicli in my 

 rambles for the last ten years, I have 

 been in the habit of meeting with 

 yearly in abundance, two miles 

 North-West of Huddersfield. The 

 following are the names : — -''Weissia 

 7iuda, Tetraphis pellucida, — another 

 beautiful moss is very common, the 

 Hookeria liicens, and I have no 

 doubt before long that the rare 

 Schistostega x)ennata vfiW be found by 

 some enterprising botanist in this 

 neighbourhood. W. Guthrie. 

 Fixby Park, April 22nd, 1864. 

 \^Discelium nudum. — Eds.] 



The Entomological Collection in 

 THE British Museum. 

 (Continued from page 9.J 

 Sir, — The correspondent of the 

 ''Times" has not overstated but 

 understated the facts of the case. 

 Great improvements have been 

 made of late years in the setting 

 of insects by the invention of 

 setting boards or corks, greatly im- 

 proved Entomological pins, etc., etc., 

 and as such a vast proportion of the 

 specimens have been set abroad with 

 insufficient apjDliances, and others 

 carelessly extended by dealers or 

 others at home who have had no 

 personal j)ride in the setting of their 

 captures or their duplicates, it is no 

 exaggeration to say that nearly the 

 whole collection ought to be re- 

 pinned and re-set, so as to have if 

 possible that uniformity andneatness 

 which every Entomologist knows 



adds so immensely to the beauty 

 and value of a collection. 



There are besides an immoderate 

 and inordinate number of duplicates 

 in all the orders, which want weeding 

 out. I know that the difficulty of 

 donation comes in here, but it is a 

 purely personal matter, and should 

 not be allowed for a moment to stand 

 in the way of the improvement of 

 the splendid collection of insects 

 which the nation possesses in the 

 British Museum. 



I said that I agreed with every 

 word of the letter of the "Times'' 

 correspondent, H. C, but in one 

 point I am glad somewhat to differ 

 from him. He spoke of specimens 

 being so incrusted with London 

 dust as to be almost indiscernible. 

 I think little or nothing of this is to 

 be seen, at all events in the cabinet 

 drawers, but possibly he may only 

 have been speaking of the store 

 boxes, and alluding to the insects in 

 them, and if so it may be too true 

 as far as they are concerned, but 

 the remedy in that case is ready in 

 future by the adoption of the reforms 

 I have suggested, the making room 

 at once for all first additions, from 

 time to time, by the elimination of 

 duplicates, and by having paid 

 officers sufficient for their arrange- 

 ment, without delay or accumulation, 

 in their proper places. — F. O. 

 Morris, Nunburnholme Rectory, 

 May 3, 1864. 



P.S. — In the previous letter, for " above," in the last line, read " below. 



