266 [October, 



ENTOM OLOGICAL 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 measure 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. 



8®" 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., October, 1893. 



It has always been recognized that scientific research is greatly furthered 

 by the exchange of the various objects with which that research is con- 

 cerned. For the transmission of objects of natural history from one 

 country to another the mails have offered a cheap and speedy means. 

 Heretofore, through the laxity with which the regulations on the subject 

 have been enforced, it has been possible to enter such objects in the mails 

 of the Universal Postal Union as samples of merchandise and under the 

 rates of postage therefor. From official information lately received from 

 the United States Post-office Department, it appears that such a rating is 

 entirely unauthorized by existing provisions, and that objects of natural 

 history may only be mailed according to the rates required for letters. 

 The United States Post-office Department also stated that it had recently 

 submitted a proposition to the countries comprising the Postal Union to 

 modify the regulations so that such specimens may be received into the 

 mails as samples of merchandise, but that a sufficient number of countries 

 had voted against the proposition to defeat it. Those countries voting 

 negatively were Austria, Bolivia, British India, Canada, Germany, Great 

 Britain, Guatemala, Hungary, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, 

 Sweden, Tunis, Uruguay and Venezuela. The Academy of Natural 

 Sciences of Philadelphia has resolved to address the various scientific 

 bodies with which it is in communication in these countries and to re- 

 quest them to memorialize their respective governments in favor of the 

 proposed modification. The letter rate for postage (Universal Postal 

 Union) is ten times that required for samples of merchandise, so that the 

 former is virtually prohibitive. 



While, therefore, the subject of the proposed modification of the postal 

 regulation is one which concerns all zoologists and botanists, the News 

 would urge upon its readers to use such influence as they may be able to 

 exert tending towards the change. It seems reasonable to hope that such 

 foreign entomologists who read these words may do much in the way of 

 valuable assistance. 



