EDUCATIONAL VALUE OF ENTOMOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS. 245 



enclosed in a cocoon. Includes the " skippers," malvce, palamon, 

 comma, tages, thaumus, sylvanus, and actceon. 



It will doubtlessly be urged that;^in the genera above given 

 there are many groups of species resembling one another more 

 than they do other members in the same genus. This is a 

 difficulty, however, that can never be got over by subdividing. 

 Take, for instance, the genus Vanessa, as at present restricted, 

 and who will not admit that urticce and polychloros are more 

 closely allied to one another than either are to io or antiopa ? 

 While another species, c-album, bearing the closest resemblance 

 to polycliloros, is placed in some arrangements out by itself in 

 the genus Grapta. 



Another subject which I think calls for a brief notice is the 

 use of complimentary names, which are unquestionably to be 

 deprecated, bringing as they do the science into ridicule and 

 contempt. I may say that among New Zealand insects this 

 foolish practice of naming species, and even genera, after 

 individuals has obtained to a lamentable extent, as may be seen 

 from our catalogues, which consist of little else but personal 

 names. , 



Wellington, New Zealand, July 25, 1887. 



THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE OF ENTOMOLOGICAL 

 COLLECTIONS. 



By James W. Tutt, F.E.S. 



Mr. Calvert (Entom. 196) has written a most interesting 

 article, many of the remarks in which the readers of the 

 ' Entomologist ' will undoubtedly endorse most heartily ; but it 

 seems rather to deal with the defence of the time spent on 

 Entomology than the phase Mr. Coste seemed to me to wish to 

 present (Entom. 93), viz., the "educational value of forming a 

 collection by a collector of limited time, and whether, considering 

 the immense amount of labour entailed in setting the specimens, 

 the educational result is worth the time spent on it." 



As an ardent entomologist and a professional educationist, I 

 must state that I believe the ground Mr. Coste has taken up 

 practically unassailable, and that the time tliat really enthusiastic 



