136 POMONA JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY 



Dr. F. E. Blaisdell's valuable paper on the Eleodiini has elicited a number 

 of reviews and criticisms, mostly of a very commendatory character. In "The 

 Entomologists' Record and Journal of Variation," for October, an interesting 

 criticism is found. Although Dr. Blaisdell divides his genus Eleodes into sub- 

 divisions and groups, with full diagnoses, he drops these subdivisions and uses 

 Eleodes for all subdivisions ; "the binomial used not offering the slightest sug- 

 gestion as to the position of the species in any one of the eleven subdivisions 

 into which the group falls, and of which Eleodes is common to both series." 

 It might be said the same of the formae, under the species, which are evidently 

 incipient species or subspecies, possibly a few mutations, and are consequently 

 very interesting, more so than the well differentiated and isolated species ; they 

 should be as much recognized by name, although possibly in a trinomial form 

 to express their relationships. 



The intensive and systematic study of the variation of species, subspecies, 

 etc., with strict regard to their environment and geographical distribution is 

 of great value and interest in the study of the origin of species, faunae and 

 florae. Of course, this has to be done with immense series of specimens from 

 all over the range of distribution and in different years ; for species which are 

 in process of formation vary in all directions in pattern or structure, /. e., fluc- 

 tuating variation, some variations being more numerous than the others and 

 eventually one pattern or structure is evolved through selection ; whether this 

 selection is germinal, environmental or determinate remains to be learned. In 

 a beginning study of the variations of a little blue butterfly, Cupido fiilla, from 

 various mountains of Southern California, some very interesting points are 

 being discovered. The species which evidently had a continuous range, rather 

 recently, geologically, has become more or less isolated into colonies ; the vari- 

 ous colonies ( although showing their relationship among themselves, are, it 

 seems, beginning to vary in different directions, one form of pattern predomi- 

 nating over the others. Is this an example of determinate variation ? The 

 mutations of certain plant breeders and experimenters are simply these indi- 

 vidual or fluctuating variations, isolated by human means and perpetuated for 

 a time. There are many mutations in every variable species, one of which, in 

 course of time, by means of natural selection may become the prevailing form 

 —the species. We can only get a correct idea of species from the study of 

 species in their true habitat and environment. Of course, plant and animal 

 breeding and improvement is of use economically: but it is not natural history. 

 De Vries' idea is that "the slow and gradual changes surmised by Wallace and 

 his followers. . . . are entirely beyond our future and present experience" ! 

 And further; "One of the greatest objections to the Darwinian theory of de- 

 scent arose from the length of time it would require, if all evolution was to be 

 explained on the theory of slow and nearly invisible changes. This difficulty 

 is at once met and fully surmounted by the hypothesis of periodical but sudden 

 and quite noticeable steps."!! That reminds us of the teachings of Werner 

 and his followers in geology, in a different line, a century ago. "Time is as 

 long as space is wide." Chw finite minds can not grasp all the infinite. 



