72 



He who will not take the trouble to record because he is too 

 lazy, he who won't take scientific pursuits seriously and work 

 for a definite result, is a person of no scientific merit and utility, 

 and such a person I don't address my remarks to at all. It is a 

 lamentable fact, however, that some of the most efficient and 

 successful field workers are those who do least with the pen, 

 and I know at least two people who are most successful collectors 

 who will not write. Fortunately some of their results I have been 

 able to take down in writing direct from them and so preserve, 

 but the rest of the results might as well never have been attained. 

 Don't allow the sporting side of the collecting to crowd out the pen 

 and ink work indoors. 



You ought also to make up your mind what you intend to 

 study and specialize as much as possible, never, however, losing 

 touch with general problems, otherwise you will run a grave 

 danger of becoming pedantic and impractical, and of working 

 your way into blind alleys through some faulty method due to 

 want of breadth of view. 



As to obtaining specimens. First of all Insecta. 

 My actual working experience extends to " Lepidoptera " 

 only, but my methods are largely applicable to any branch. 



(1) Sugaring, that is putting on trees, palings, thistles and 

 tufts of grass, and large plants a compound of boiled treacle or 

 coarse sugar, beer and rum, with fruit essence, such as jargonelle 

 added. Every book gives full directions. It is a popular, but 

 uncertain, method, and as its results vary from nothing to having 

 80 or 90 moths on a patch it is best worked in conjunction with 

 some other method. 



(2) Flighting consists of catching things at their natural 

 time of flight. 



(3) Flowers: Ragwort, thistles, valerian, bramble blossom, 

 clover, sainfoin, the large umbelliferous plants, heather and 

 heath, the campions, rhododendrons, verbenas, jasmine, 

 aloysius, scabious, bugle, lime blossom, sallow blossom, knap- 

 weed, cistus, nicotiana, geranium, and other sweet smelling 

 flowers are attractive, especially on downs or near the sea coast. 

 These are things which are too often neglected in favour of the 

 more orthodox method of sugaring. Many insects come to such 

 plants which will not come to artificial sweets, notably the 

 sphinges, the Noctuae of the genus Heliotis and Cucullia and sub 

 family Plusianae. 



(4) Searching in the morning early on palings, posts, trees 

 and walls occasionally pays, but should be pursued before the 

 sun is up. In the evening and afternoon one may often find new 

 emergences drying their wings in such situations. 



(5) Beating vigorously with a stick or stamping upon rabbit 

 burrows and overhanging banks often results in some insect 

 rushing out in a hurry into the ever-ready net. 



