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  xlvii 
  ) 
  

  

  subjects. 
  It 
  certainly 
  has 
  done 
  so 
  with 
  plants, 
  as 
  now 
  hardly 
  

   a 
  private 
  herbarium 
  exists 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  — 
  nearly 
  all 
  have 
  

   been 
  absorbed 
  by 
  Kew. 
  So 
  also 
  with 
  birds 
  ; 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  

   of 
  the 
  private 
  collections 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  ago 
  are 
  now 
  benag 
  

   concentrated 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  and 
  other 
  museums. 
  

  

  What, 
  then, 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  efiect 
  of 
  this 
  concentration 
  of 
  

   collections 
  in 
  public 
  museums 
  on 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  working 
  

   systematic 
  entomologists 
  other 
  than 
  the 
  Museum 
  officials 
  ? 
  

   Under 
  existing 
  circumstances 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  think 
  the 
  

   number 
  will 
  decrease. 
  The 
  necessity 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  of 
  

   exammmg 
  large 
  series 
  of 
  specimens 
  of 
  any 
  species 
  from 
  as 
  

   wide 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  localities 
  as 
  possible 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  variation 
  and 
  

   distribution 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  can 
  be 
  traced, 
  has 
  increased 
  the 
  

   bulk 
  of 
  collections 
  to 
  an 
  enormous 
  extent. 
  In 
  former 
  times 
  

   a 
  pair 
  or 
  two 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  was 
  considered 
  enough 
  to 
  represent 
  

   it 
  in 
  a 
  collection, 
  but 
  now 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  40 
  or 
  50 
  or 
  even 
  100 
  

   specimens 
  are 
  necessary 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  stability 
  or 
  instability 
  of 
  

   a 
  species, 
  its 
  range, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  many 
  points 
  connected 
  with 
  

   a 
  satisfactory 
  comprehension 
  of 
  its 
  limits. 
  All 
  this 
  vastly 
  

   increases 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  forming 
  and 
  preserving 
  new 
  collections, 
  

   and 
  is 
  against 
  the 
  private 
  collector 
  undertaking 
  the 
  task, 
  and 
  

   the 
  burden 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  determining 
  and 
  classifying 
  will 
  be 
  

   more 
  and 
  more 
  thrown 
  upon 
  the 
  Museum 
  officials. 
  That 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  private 
  workers 
  at 
  systematic 
  Entomology 
  should 
  

   decrease 
  is 
  distinctly 
  to 
  be 
  deplored, 
  and 
  in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  

   tendency 
  of 
  collections 
  to 
  become 
  amassed 
  m 
  museums, 
  it 
  

   follows 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  arrangements 
  made 
  in 
  those 
  

   museums 
  that 
  this 
  evil 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  arrested. 
  

  

  As 
  we 
  all 
  know, 
  when 
  once 
  a 
  specimen 
  becomes 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   perty 
  of 
  the 
  Trustees 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  it 
  must 
  never 
  

   pass 
  out 
  of 
  their 
  possession. 
  Nothing, 
  then, 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  out 
  

   of 
  the 
  Museum 
  hours, 
  and 
  entomologists 
  who 
  have 
  their 
  daily 
  

   business 
  to 
  attend 
  to 
  can 
  only 
  visit 
  the 
  Museum 
  at 
  rare 
  in- 
  

   tervals. 
  They 
  do 
  this 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  now 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  deter- 
  

   mine 
  specimens 
  in 
  their 
  own 
  collections; 
  but 
  when 
  the 
  latter 
  

   are, 
  from 
  reasons 
  already 
  given, 
  no 
  longer 
  made, 
  the 
  subject 
  

   will 
  cease 
  to 
  be 
  studied 
  by 
  them. 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  think 
  this 
  

   can 
  be 
  obviated 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  m 
  a 
  way 
  that 
  will 
  greatly 
  

   benefit 
  the 
  Museum 
  and 
  all 
  concerned. 
  There 
  are, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  

  

  