2 1901 



BOLLETTINO 



ORI 



Musei di Zoologia ed Anatomia comparata 



uj^f 



«iella IL DiilT«r8Ìtn «li Torino 



N. 386 pubblicato il 4 Giugno 1901 Vol. XVI 



E. Brunetti. 



Londra 



0n labelling insects. 



There is a great lack of uniforraity in labelling insects, owing to 

 which it is often impossible to distinguish the nameofthe locality from 

 that of the collector; and with reference to the date of capture, it is 

 impossible to discover what is raeant when the day of capture is less 

 than the 13 th , on account of some collectors placing the day of the month 

 first, and others the month. 



For instaDce, a specimen taken on May 10.1901 would by some be 

 labelled 10.5.1901, and by others (chiefly amongst Americans) 5.10.1901 .« 

 On passing from one collection to another, the recipient would be in- 

 decided as to whether the flgures referred to May 10 or Oct. 5. 



Again, now that exchange abroad is much more common than for- 

 merly, it is insufflcient to give simply the village or wood in which the 

 insect is taken. The province or county should also be given, in full if 

 possible, unless the name of the Country be also added, when both the 

 latter may be abbreviated ; as for example « Bradford Yorks. Engl. » 

 or « Shovel Mount, Burnet Co. Tex. ». 



It must be remembered that there are countries of Middlesex, Surrey 

 and Coni wall in Jamaica, that there are simular instances everywhere, 

 and hosts of towns with well known English names in the United 

 States, in Canada and other colonies; so that specimens so ambiguously 

 labelled as « London », « Victoria », etc, might give rise to much con- 

 fusion in general collections. 



I nave the honour, therefore to propose the following system of la- 

 belling ali insect : 



l 8t The exact locality to be given in full, invariably including 

 County (or Province) also, sudi as « Bognor Sussex », « Admont Styria », 



