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If it is not judiciously done, it is well calculated to inflict grievous injustice on 

 the industrious workers that went before, and a corresponding loss and labour on those 

 that come after. 



Let us look how it works in practice ; take as an illustration of the wrong done 

 to the students and investigators of the past, and the loss sustained by the collectors of 

 the present, an extreme but well known example, Caberodes confusaria, Hub., a moth 

 that has been red escribed eight times at least, from the fact of its having a large 

 number of distinct varieties. 



A beginner takes one form, he gets it named Caberodes confusaria, Hub., he turns 

 to his list, marks it off, and thinks he is done with it ; takes another which he thinks is 

 different, gets the same name for that, and yet another, and so on, it may be through 

 the whole series; not a shadow of indication, it may be, in his check list to intimate to 

 him that it was a variable insect he had to deal with, and his feeling about it will be 

 one of confusion, if not of disgust. 



Now, if the proper names of these varieties with the authority had been retained,, 

 a glance at his list would have warned him what he was to expect of this insect, and if 

 he bad access to the writings of these authors, he could easily have got the names for 

 himself, thus getting the full benefit of the labours of those that went before him, but as- 

 it is at present, these are as good as lost to him, and he has to go over the same ground 

 again for himself ; this does not look like advancing science, but a throwing away of 

 advances gained. 



Synonyms, of course, must go, but where a variety has been named, even if it be but 

 the extreme of intergrades, let it stay ; it is surely far better to run the risk of having 

 too many variety names than attempt to consolidate them all under one by calling it 

 species ; but some may say who is to decide which is the species and which the variety. 



I think Mr. W. H. Edwards has settled that question effectually, — they are all 

 varieties, it takes the whole series to make up the species. 



Priority may settle precedence. Adopt this principle, and it stops at once, and for 

 all time the contention amongst the authorities whether theirs is the species or the 

 variety. 



We have the proof of experience, that no one form stands as the progenitor of all 

 the others, but that each is quite capable of producing any one, or all of the rest. Now 

 look at how this would affect the arrangement of our cabinets. 



We should have Caberodes confusaria Hub., as the name of the species, not to be 

 attached to any form, but including all, then we should have confusaria var. this, that 

 and the others, as far as we had obtained material. Thus avoiding the use of three 

 names on a label, which we all know is exceedingly inconvenient ; giving us a clear and 

 comprehensive view of a variable insect, and adding greatly to the interest, value, and 

 scientific exactness of our collections. If this principle of dealing with varieties was 

 adopted for all kinds, which Mr. Edwards applies only to seasonal ones, there would have 

 to be a considerable addition made to the names on our lists. Take any species with 

 varieties : — 



Catocala relicta, for instance, has three well defined forms, each as truly relicta, as 

 the others, two only have separate names, so we want yet another name to give natural- 

 ness to our view of the species relicta. 



As to how we lose by our present method, which of us has any definite conception 

 of Drasteria erechtea as a species ; we are all familiar enough with bits of it. I see by 

 Mr. Grote's list that it has been endowed with nine names in its time, and I doubt not 

 they could be all occupied to advantage. If I could have got separate names for my 

 different forms I should have collected all I could find, but varieties without names in a 

 collection are a confusion and a nuisance ; yet each one is needed to give a correct view 

 of the species as it exists in nature, but our present method offers no inducement to 

 follow it out, as they occupy no permanent place in our literature, whatever they may 

 do in nature ; yet it appears to me that the production of varieties, is one of the most 

 intensely interesting operations that is going on in nature's vast laboratory, and well 

 worthy of our closest observation and study. 



