1898.] 45 



ENTOM OLOGICAL NEWS. 



[The Conductors of Entomological News solicit, and will thankfully receive items 

 of news, likely to interest its readers, from any source. The author's name will be given 

 in each case for the information of cataloguers and bibliographers.] 



To Contributor*.— All contributions will be considered and passed upon at our 

 earliest convenience, and as far as may be, will be published according to date of recep- 

 tion. Entomological News has reached a circulation, both in numbers and circumfei- 

 ence.as to make it necessary to put "copy'' into the hands of the printer, for each number, 

 three weeks before date of issue. This should be remembered in sending special or im- 

 portant matter for certain issue. Twenty-five "extras" without change in form will be 

 given free when they are wanted, and this should be so stated on the MS. along with the 

 number desired. The receipt of all papers will be acknowledged. — Ed. 



Philadelphia, Pa., February, 1898. 



\ 



Specimens of Natural History in the Foreign Mails. 



Those who were interested in the attempt to secure a reduction 

 of postage on specimens of Natural History in the international 

 mails, to which we have referred in the numbers of the News 

 for October, 1893 (p. 266), February, 1894 (p. 42), and March, 

 1897 (p. 55), may desire to have a somewhat fuller statement of 

 the success attained in May last, than was contained in the news- 

 papers at the time. The references just given are all concerned 

 with the labors of a Committee, appointed by the Academy of 

 Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, September 5, 1893, to secure 

 the admission of specimens of natural history to the^ mails of the 

 Universal Postal Union as samples of merchandise and under the 

 rates therefor — one cent for every two ounces. In December 

 last, this Committee made its final report to the Academy and 

 was discharged. Its report stated {inter alia) : 



Your Committee have now but to make its official report of the generally 

 well-known fact that the proposed modification as regards Natural 

 History specimens was adopted at the Washington Congress of the 

 Universal Postal Union in May last. The adoption of this modification 

 is referred to by the Superintendent of Foreign Mails of the U. S. 

 Post Office, Mr. N. M. Brooks, in his Report for the fiscal year ended 

 June 30, 1897, and dated Washington, Oct. 13, 1897. The reference is 

 as follows: Alluding to the work of the Universal Postal Congress, Mr. 

 Brooks says (p. 7), "The following are, however, matters of general 



interest or importance which it may be well to mention, viz.: 



(4) Natural History specimens are admitted at the rate and under the 



