274 FRANCIS ORPEN MORRIS 



talked of sub-species ; the late Mr. Burney said it was 

 < highly unphilosophical ' and species or no species 

 for him. Now I do not think Polata is a distinct 

 species, neither can you call it a * permanent variety/ 

 because it varies quite as much as the genuine 

 Dilutata. O. camlinca bears, again, the same relation, 

 and whether you call it a ' local variety ' or a ' sub- 

 species ' matters little to me. Charissa obscuraria, 

 C.pullaria, C. serotinaria, and C. dilucidaria are called 

 by some people distinct species because, in their 

 respective haunts, they have a peculiar character, 

 affected no doubt by the soil or herbage where 

 they are found ; but if these four are distinct, how 

 many more might there be ? at least double, if not 

 ad inf." Much more did he write in this letter, 

 which is a short one compared with many. In 

 concluding his letters, he signed himself " Yours 

 entty," which probably was an abbreviation for 

 " yours entomologically" (!). Mr. Dale was quite 

 capable of such a piece of originality ! 



Of all branches of natural history, there was 

 none, as before stated, that my father pursued with 

 greater zest than this, and none to which he gave 

 more time and attention. Of this proofs are not 

 wanting. Let the following, which dates from the 

 year 1865, suffice. He had long felt it to be an 

 entomological want to have, as far as possible, a 

 complete catalogue of our British insects in all the 

 orders. Nothing of the kind had been attempted 

 since those published by Curtis and Stephens many 

 years previously. These were now out of date, 



