derivation, he ,u;ives them a free translation, and we have the 

 senator {Aiiisofa sc/iaforia); the twin {Smerinthus gemitiatus)', the 

 minister {Dataiia ininistra). Or, twisting the correct name a bit 

 he gives it thus a more familiar sound. So he always calls the 

 pretty little sub-alpine geometer, Baptria allwvittata, the Baptist. 

 Shall I ever forget the look of perplexed horror on the face of a 

 good old man of the Free Will Baptist persuasion, as he heard 

 this enthusiastic but unconventional collector announce one day 

 that he had caught a lot of ministers, bottled one senator and 

 pinned three little Baptists I But I understand him perfectly, 

 and we hold most satisfactory entomological conversation and 

 correspondence. Thus I obtain from him, as J said before, l)y the 

 means of this vocabulary of home-made names, rare and desirable 

 insects which I should lose 1 am sure if I asked for them, or spoke 

 of them onlv bv the long, often meaningless terms which he has 

 no i^atience or leisure to learn. 



I draw no conclusions here, you see ; I propound no well de- 

 fined theory. I tell you some simple little incidents, only a few 

 out of hundreds of similar ones in my experience. 



In making your plans for popularizing entomology, for draw- 

 ing into the study young and old, wise and unlearned, perhaps 

 these illustrations of mine may not lack suggestiveness. And you 

 may, perchance, consider the advisability of giving, as do the 

 entomologists of England, (iermany and other lands, a simple, 

 popular name to each and every insect, as well as its more scienti- 

 fic titles. Why should we not, in time, have an Index Entomolo- 

 gicus, like that of Wood, where side by side, stand the two names, 

 the easv and the difificult, the simple and the scientific? 



AUCTION SALE OF INSECTS. 



Recently an auction sale of insects was held at the residence 

 of Mr. B. Neumoegen, for the benefit of the publication fund of the 

 Journal of the New V'ork Entomological Society. The material 

 for this purpose was contributed by members. About one thou- 

 sand Coleoptera and Lepidoptera were sold. The prices realized 

 for some specimens was very encouraging. .\ single example of 

 Spilosoina prima brought $4.25; a pair of Seirarctia echo $1.50; a 

 specimen of Gyascutiis ci/ncafi/s, $1.25. Other species brought 

 ecpially good prices, upon which we will report later. 



