36 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



little difficulty in locating species near them, but I see an insuperable diffi- 

 culty in placing them amongst any other family, in my present state of 

 knowledge of the lepidoptera of the world. I shall retain them at the end of 

 my collection, as in Doubleday's Catalogue. But do not please think I have 

 overlooked the desires of other people. My plumes and most other families 

 are arranged in separate drawers, so as never to run into each other, thus 

 my Pteiophori, 500 specimens, are all in one drawer, and my drawers being 

 interchangeable, I can place them wherever my visitors like them best for 

 the time being, and I have only to ask my visitors what group they should 

 like to see next and we are at it at once. If our young friends will do this 

 any arrangement can be made available ; but as a new issue of H. Double- 

 day's list is sure to appear soon, with, the additions that have been made and 

 the same terminology, we may fairly hope English Entomological Nomen- 

 clature will be settled for some time to come. 



This so-called law of priority is either good for all, or good for nothing ; 

 if good for specific names, then it is good for family and generic names. If 

 applied to either, then it leads us direct back to Papilion, Papillionida, 

 genus Papillio — a butterfly ; and to genus Phalena, Linn — a moth. 

 What next? That the rule (not law) of priority should be worked 

 within certain and well-defined limits is admitted by every one, but to carry 

 any such rule or law to its natural sequence is absurdity exemplified. 

 Guenee in his great work, quotes or rejects 95 authors, and gives his reasons 

 for so doing ; and here is a base line from which we have all worked, until 

 some obscure author or compilers work, previously unknown, is unearthed, 

 and then the whole foundation of our structure is to fall to pieces, to please 

 the unfortunate old moles (not the advanced naturalists) who have found it. 

 It may be said I am threshing a dead horse, but I say, don't leave a quiver- 

 muscle or a hair of it alive, or the work must be done again-— cremate it ! 

 Rose Bank, Fletcher Grove, Edge Lane, Liverpool. 



GREAT CAPTURE OF WATER BEETLES. 



By J. J. NIXON. 



In company with my friend Mr. S. Roberts, I took a stroll in search of 

 water beetles, having been informed that they were to be taken in large 

 numbers in a dyke which runs beside the Midland Railway near Little Eaton. 

 When we arrived at the spot, we found the dyke covered by reeds and rushes, 

 and quite dry, with the exception of a few spots that had been deepened to 



