Ixix 



The reason of this, no doubt, h'es m a state of things which has 

 often been lamented : namely the too-exclusive devotion of our 

 native Entomologists to the formation of purely British collections. 

 The exhaustion of our limited insular fauna and the extreme 

 unlikelihood of the discovery of new species, seem to teach no 

 lesson to the purely British collector, and he goes on collecting, 

 observing, and recording what has been collected, observed, and 

 recorded over and over again. Some, it is satisfactory to notice, 

 break through the artificial limits imposed by the majority, and 

 extend the range of their excursions and observation to the 

 continent. The ice once broken this way, a boundless field of 

 interesting study lies before them ; for, by exchange and a trifling 

 outlay of pocket-money, large collections can be formed and the 

 mind expanded by the study of the whole Palfearctic Fauna, of 

 which that of the British Isles is only a half-starved fragment. 

 Even if it were only for the pleasure of tracing the wonderful 

 local variations, the formation of sub-races and races of our 

 common English insects, some of them of surprising beauty, over 

 the wider continental area, one would think that every intelligent 

 Entomologist with us would be eager thus to extend his studies. 

 And it could be done with no more expenditui'e of time and very 

 little more of money than the present exclusive pursuit of home 

 productions. Many, of course, would plead that they collect 

 insects only for pure amusement, caring nothing for science. To 

 such we have nothing further to say. But we believe and hope that 

 there are very many British collectors and observers of insects 

 who are able and willing to take a higher view of their pm-suit, 

 and if we could only induce a sufficient number of these to take a 

 more general interest in the study, to write papers for us, and 

 join us, the reciprocal good effect which we aim at, viz., the 

 the enlargement and improvement of our 'Transactions,' and 

 thereby the further increase of members and means, would be 

 produced, thus, as we hope, elevating the status of Entomology 

 in this country. 



Notwithstanding, however, the smallness of our numbers and 

 means, we have reason to be well-satisfied with our labours 

 dm-ing the past year. The monthly meetings have been 

 numerously attended and their interest well kept up. Our 

 ' Transactions,' though rather less in bulk than usual, contain 

 an average number of papers, in which most of the orders of 



