rH 
was to blame, but that very often local circumstances brought about 
the destruction of a local species, and he instanced Meditea athalia, 
which in its old locality of Abbot’s Wood had suffered greatly in the 
larval stage from the depredations of the pheasants, now more 
extensively preserved in that neighbourhood. 
Mr. T. W. Hall suggested, as an extreme measure, that a black 
list of greedy collectors be formed, and even published in the 
magazines. 
Mr. Tutt said that, as a member of the committee, he wished rather 
to hear opinions from other members than to give his own. He, as 
a collector in close touch with many other collectors, had no doubt 
that much over-collecting existed, especially of local species that had 
a moderately high money or exchange value. He instanced again 
the practical extermination of Afatura tris, Melitea athalta, Nola 
albulalis, and Melanargia galatea in Chattenden Woods. The 
way in which Scoria dealbata was systematically collected was quite 
deplorable. Last year as many as seven or eight men were often on 
the ground at one time in quest of this species, some of the collectors 
having obtained specimens for many previous years. He stated that 
he remembered an occasion when seven or eight men stood in a line 
and fought for each specimen of 4. 777s as it came up; he had once 
heard threats of personal violence used to a lad who had taken up 
what was supposed to be one of the best positions for the capture of 
this species. The systematic way in which a London dealer set 
about the extermination of /Vola albulalis in order to raise its price 
was detailed, and the over-collecting of Acdalia rusticata at Higham 
was also mentioned. He said that he thought schoolboys did no 
great harm. They wanted two or three of a kind, and were satisfied. 
It was the man who wanted three, four, five dozen, or, rather, as many 
as he could get of such species as Zhecla w-album, T. prunt, Leuco- 
phasia sinapis, Lycena arton, and so on, that did the mischief. He 
disagreed with those who thought moral suasion was useless. It was, 
of course, useless with those men who would collect for collecting’s 
sake, and looked on each specimen as having a money value; but 
there were thoughtless men who did these things from want of 
consideration, and these were certainly amenable to reason. The 
man who got four dozen or six dozen Lycena arion last year, and 
added something to his collection which he will tell you he could 
not have got unless he had had the Z. avion, will go again. You 
cannot influence him. He is, of course, making a collection in 
which Z. avion has a market price, as well as all the other insects 
it brings in exchange. The same with the men who go to Abbot’s 
Wood for d@elitea athalia, and those who year after year so closely 
worked a well-known haunt of J/. aurinza, that they finally 
exterminated it. He had much sympathy with collectors, for he 
recognised that he himself was essentially a collector, but he wished 
collectors would collect with their head as well as with their hands. 
Mr. Barrett recognised the difficulty of influencing those collectors 
