' 
42 Fowler: Presidential Address to Lincs. Naturalists’ Union. 
microscopists I have come across who spent all their energies in 
finding out ‘how to work with higher objectives than their 
friends, and who are perfectly happy and contented if they have 
resolved out a few lines on a diatom which a friend’s microscope 
Fe icesiiately refuses to reveal; of course, a collector in the strictest 
sense of the term must to a certain extent be an observer: he 
must observe localities and habitats and seasons of capture if 
‘nothing else, and if he will only keep a record of these he will 
have done much; but even this is often neglected, and there- 
fore I would put in a strong plea for more observation and more 
keeping of accurate records of all kinds. Gilbert White’s work 
was not of a very solid or wide description, but he observed 
such facts as were within his reach intelligently and accurately, 
and recorded them intelligibly and pleasantly, and so earned 
for himself a reputation that appears to increase rather than 
diminish as time goes on. Now observations of any kind 
are most valuable, but as in simple collecting one group 
regard to observations; some may work at life histories, 
most interesting and much neglected study, others at 
structure, others at Saribouce including migration, while 
others again content themselves with classification; there is, 
however, one subject, or rather group of subjects, which I think — 
has a particular charm for the ordinary observer, and that is the 
question of protection and mimicry in nature, and the allied — 
questions of warning colours, recognition markings, and other 
correlated matters; there are some people who think that the 
observers in these branches go too far and see too much; but 
granting this to a certain extent, yet the main facts carry con- 
viction to anyone who can put two and two together. Take for 
_ instance a branch on which a large number of the caterpillars of 
the Geometridz are feeding; an uninitiated observer would 
probably not see one, even if he looked closely, so exact is their 
_ resemblance to the small twigs of the tree on which they are 
resting: and then observe a hawthorn hedge covered with the 
scarlet black and white caterpillars of the Gold Tip Moth 
(Porthesia similts Fuess.) flaunting themselves in the sun. - What 
is the reason of the difference? Evidently that one is edible 
and needs protection, and that the other is distasteful and ~ 
requires to be made as conspicuous as possible in order to avoid 
accidental injury by would-be devourers. Many of our British 
moths are closely protected by their likeness to the rocks or tree 
trunks on which they rest; some have protective upper wings 
Naturalist, 
