294 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



the superior frciternity, I do not see logically how he can pos- 

 sibly shdre the opinion of the Kev. W. Claxton, but must 

 rather coincide with that expressed by the correspondent whom 

 this gentleman condemns as implying that "no one was 

 worthy of the name of entomologist who did not make his 

 collecting entirely subservient to the elucidating of scientific 

 problems." 



During the greater part of my career as a collector of insects 

 I must candidly confess that I have taken very little interest 

 indeed in the great biological problems which are absorbing the 

 attention of savants at the present day, such as A. R. Wallace, 

 August Weismann, and many others. My collecting was for- 

 merly wholly undertaken in the old-fashioned style such as 

 reigned supreme before Charles Darwin launched his well-known 

 theories upon the world, and H. W. Bates had invented that 

 wonderful theory of mimicry. It is only within the last two or 

 three years that I have awakened to the advantage of a different 

 course of action. Before I felt almost in the position of a 

 barrister without a brief ; now, however, I breathe more like a 

 politician with a definite policy to pursue. It has, as it were, 

 given me a new lease of life, and awakened pleasures hitherto 

 wholly unappreciated and unknown. 



Now there are many methods by which a collection of insects 

 may be formed and arranged so as to be subservient to and 

 assist in the elucidation of scientific problems. The method of 

 course will vary according to the particular problem or series of 

 problems for which the student possesses a special predilection. 

 In the remaining portion of this essay I will endeavour to 

 explain the method which I have adopted, and which has 

 afforded me such an immense amount of pleasure. I must first 

 of all own that no important results have as yet been obtained ; 

 it must be borne in mind that I am at present practically only a 

 tyro in the particular line of research which I have after careful 

 consideration finally decided upon, so that the paucity of material 

 and data which I have obtained have precluded the possibility of 

 my elucidating any biological problem of consequence. I do 

 not, however, despair. 



Well, then, the two subjects which I have decided to study, 

 and to which I propose to direct my whole attention in the 

 future, are Distribution and Variation, with especial reference to 

 the Rhopalocera, European and Exotic. The reasons which 

 have influenced me in this predilection need not be entered into 

 here, neither why I prefer to patronise the butterflies. Suffice 

 it to say that I find this group of insects more suitable for 

 studying the various problems connected with the two branches 

 of biological science indicated. Both of these subjects are so 

 intimately connected with each other that they can be studied 

 practically side by side, and the formation and arrangement of 



