64 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



vviib a black-lead pencil between the rows. In my ' Illus- 

 trated Natural History of British Butterflies' I think 1 have 

 made this clear to my readers. 



Improvement of the Lobster Fisheries. — There has been 

 of late years much done in the way of legislation for the 

 salmon and oyster fisheries of Great Britain. Can nothing 

 be done to improve the lobster fishery on our coast? The 

 quantity of one-pound tins of this fish preserved annually 

 imported into Great Britain from the United States and 

 Canada cannot be short of 12,000,000 pounds weight, valued 

 at i'400,000 sterling. If the lobsters could be caught on our 

 shores, no inconsiderable saving in the resources of the 

 country would be effected ; besides, an additional source of 

 emolument would be opened up to our fishing population. 



Thus writes an anonymous correspondent of the ' Field.' 

 I cannot say that I agree with him. All legislation, in my 

 opinion, should be based on knowledge ; and particular 

 legislation, as in the case of Natural History, should be 

 based on a knowledge of a ])articular subject or science, as 

 the science of Natural History. This idea will be stigmatised 

 at once as absurd, altogether foreign to the question. The 

 florid school will reply: "We appoint commissioners with 

 liberal salaries; we hold public meetings quite openly; we 

 eat and drink together, make eloquent speeches, and propose 

 appropriate toasts. What does the man want ? He does 

 not know Vvhat he is talking about." I reply : " I want no 

 commissioners; no salaries; no public meetings; no eating; 

 no drinking; no toasts; no eloquent speeches; — 1 want men 

 who have the opportunity to study the natural history of the 

 lobster, and who will act on the knowledge they acquire by 

 actual observation. If such men can be obtained, well; 

 if not, leave the poor lobsters alone." 



Beautiful Pyralis. — Mr. Doubleday pronounces the mag- 

 nificent specimen, so kindly brought by Mr. J. A. Clark, to 

 be a foreign species. I hope to give the name and country 

 in the next number of the 'Entomologist.' 



Varieties for Figuring in the ' Entomologist.'' — Mr. Moore, 

 Mr. Bond, and Mr. Wellman, will please receive my best 

 thanks for the loan of the extraordinary varieties they have 

 sent for this purpose. These will be figured and described in 

 course. 



Edward Newman. 



