154 



Report of the Library and Cabinet Committee adopted as the 

 Report of the Council for 1855. 



The Library and Cabinet Committee have directed their special attention to the 

 Society's collection of exotic insects, and the following considerations present them- 

 selves : — 



That the collection from its commencement never was thoroughly arranged, and 

 every successive donation has only added to the original evil, so that the 

 insects are now to a great extent without order and without names. 



That in this condition the collection is useless to entomologists and a stigma upon 

 • the Society, besides being the cause of much trouble and expense, merely to 



preserve it from destruction. 



That from time to time efforts have been made to obtain assistance from Members 

 of the Society in the work of classifying and naming, which is so entirely 

 beyond the powers of a Curator, who has other duties to perform during the 

 limited period of his attendance; but hitherto these appeals have met with 

 little or no response, and it could scarcely be expected that any individuals 

 would give up so much of their lime as would be requisite. 



That to employ competent persons to arrange and name the foreign collections 

 would occasion great expense, which would be increased by the necessary 

 purchase of cabinets ; and that, even if the work were accomplished, it is 

 doubtful if the benefit would be at all commensurate with the cost, because 

 the larger and more accessible collection of the British Museum would com- 

 mand greater advantages for students than this collection could offer. 



That under all these circumstances, as the anangement of the exotic insects seems 

 hopeless, and the collection is only an incubus on the Society, we recommend 

 that it should be sold by auction. 



That there are precedents in other Societies for such a proceeding; and we appre- 

 hend no objection would be raised by the persons who have at various times 

 made donations of insects, because their intentions of benefiting the Society 

 and Science have not beeu and will not be carried out by keeping the collec- 

 tion intact and in its present condition. 



That we would except from this disposal the insects presented by the Rev. W. 

 Kirby, and the type specimens of such species as have been first described 

 from the collection in the Society's Transactions or elsewhere. 



