76 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Feb., '04 



mens collected, you should be profoundly grateful, and as our 

 school-boy reports say, " may he continue to deserve commen- 

 dation." 



Printed labels are very inexpensive and save endless bother, 

 but if you can't get them printed, write the names of all small 

 and doubtful places legibly. 



We have analogous trouble with the names and addresses of 

 people. Mr. Blank was born in Blankville, so his mother told 

 him, and has resided on Blank street ever since that momen- 

 tous event. Mr. Blank may be a man of parts, or he may 

 not, we never met him ; we have never been in Blankville, 

 therefore never saw Blank street, but we are sure that Mr. 

 Blank thinks we have by the way he signs his name and writes 

 his address. 



Moral — start the New Year by having printed pin labels for 

 all your specimens and send them to your friends when you 

 make exchanges. 



Notes and News. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL GLEANINGS FROM ALL QUARTERS 

 OF THE GLOBE. 



"Aren't you glad the Christmas holidays are over?" asked the 

 bachelor. " Glad ! " snorted the father of eight, as he thought of all the 

 stockings he had filled. " I guess I am. I'm glad I'm not the head of a 

 family of centipedes." 



The name Ciris. — I find that the name Ciris, Grote, Pr. Ent. Soc. 

 Phil., 1863, applied to a genus of Noctuidae, will have to fall because of 

 Ciris, Koch, 1850, in Arachnida. The noctuid genus may be called 

 Xerociris, n. n., type Xerociris wilsoni (Grote). In a recent part of 

 Proc. Ent. Soc, Washington, there is a discussion concerning the circum- 

 stances under which it is proper to change a preoccupied name. I think 

 that when the author of the original name is living he should be asked to 

 propose the new term, unless he has shown himself regardless of such 

 matters. At the same time I am not sure it would not be better to form 

 committees to look after these matters in different groups, because I have 

 found that many authors either refuse to do anything or postpone action 

 indefinitely, when their attention is called to homonyms they have pub- 

 lished. Would it not be possible to form a committee to examine all the 

 generic names given to American insects with respect to homonymy, and 

 remove from our lists all names found untenable on this account? — T. D. 



A. COCKERELL. 



