\J 



196 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



secret in their habits. Walking through the bush on a hot 

 summer's da}^ the entomologist cannot fail to be impressed with 

 the paucit}' of insect-life around him compared with a similar 

 situation in England, and will very probably exclaim that there 

 are no New Zealand insects worth speaking of. In this, 

 however, he is somewhat mistaken ; for although they are 

 unquestionably very much less numerous here than in the old 

 country, yet there are a great many more than anyone would 

 imagine, judging from first impressions only. 

 Wellington, New Zealand, May 20, 1887. 



ON COLLECTIONS OF LEPIDOPTERA. 



By Wm. Bartlett Calvkrt, F.E.S. 



Answering Mr. F. H. Perry Coste's article (Entom. xx. 93) 

 about " Collections of Lepidoptera," my idea is that future stu- 

 dents of British Lepidoptera will learn far more of the habits, 

 economy, and ways of living of the different species of British 

 Lepidoptera, by making their own collections, than ever they 

 would had they only access to some type collection. 



The science and study of Entomology is not blindly restricted - 

 to Entomology alone, but embraces Geography, Topography, 

 Botany, and many of the physical laws of Nature. What could 

 be learnt of the ways and habits of the Cossidce by studying in a 

 museum only ? All we would gather by such a study would be 

 the difference of form, colour, size, and variation of certain 

 genera and species in connection with others, or the variation of 

 a certain species taken in different localities; but we should be 

 as ignorant of the modes of life as we still are of the life of pre- 

 historic man. To my idea, all who wish to study profoundly any 

 one part of Entomology must make his own collection, set his 

 own insects, and leave the buying of typical collections to colleges 

 and schools (for elementary .teaching in these establishments this 

 would be the only way to procure a collection). 



How much may be learnt by setting Lepidoptera ? Only 

 those who do a great deal of this kind of work can tell ; in setting 

 one is able to study the flexibility of the wing (which could not be 

 done by type-study alone), its debility, hardness, &c., in bringing 



