1895-] 151 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 



Published monthly (except July and August), in charge of the joint 

 publication committees of the Entomological Section of the Academy 

 of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, and the American Entomological 

 Society. It will contain not less than 300 pages per annum. It will main- 

 tain no free list whatever, but will leave no pleasure untried to make it a 

 necessity to every student of insect life, so that its very moderate annual 

 subscription may be considered well spent. 



ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION ^1.00, IN ADTANCE. 



Outside of the United States and Canada $1.20. 



B®" All remittances should be addressed to E. T. Cresson, Treasurer, 

 P. O. Box 248, Philadelphia, Pa. ; all other communications to the Editors 

 of Entomological News, Academy of Natural Sciences, Logan Square, 

 Philadelphia, Pa. 



Philadelphia, Pa., May, 1895. 



LABELING INSECTS. 



A NEW collecting season is about to open, indeed for a number of our 

 subscribers it has already commenced, and we have had the pleasure of 

 receiving specimens taken during March. Our attention is constantly 

 called to the utter carelessness of most collectors in regard to putting 

 proper data on their specimens, whether pinned or in papers. Too many 

 are satisfied with the single label 'mundus." We are thoroughly con- 

 vinced that a specimen labeled "mundus" is depreciated in value from 

 50 to 75 per cent. If the specimen is a mounted one there are two things 

 that should invariably be on the pin ; one is the exact locality where 

 captured, and the other is the date of capture. It is not safe to have the 

 date and exact locality on the name label as this gives an opening or 

 chance for error. If on the pin it always travels with the insect and is 

 part and parcel of it. I think that a number of our large collections made 

 in the past will lose much of their value on account of insufficient data 

 with the specimens, as our studies are largely biological and many of the 

 problems of the future will be solved by accurate studies of distribution 

 and the appearence of species and broods. Entomology has passed 

 beyond the time when the mere arrangement of the named specimens in 

 the cabinet was the end of all work. It wont do either to merely put on 

 a specimen the name of the State where captured. There is an exceed- 

 ingly interesting and valuable paper on this subject by T. D. A. Cockerell 

 (Can. Ent. vol. xxi, p. 46) which we wish all entomologists could read, 

 as Mr. Cockerell says, many do not realize what only a State locality 

 may mean. " It may mean distinct zoo-geographical regions, any altitude 

 from (in Colorado) 4000 to 14,000 feet,- an area of 103,948 square miles. 



