8 THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



Brooks in my hand, a familiarity in the writing struck my eye, and af f er a 

 moment's hesitation I named the writer. Entomologists will well remember 

 how numbers of us were taken in ten or twelve years ago, by a reported find of 

 larvae of Pityocampa precessionea, which were freely exchanged for anything 

 good that was obtainable. The finder of Pityocampa — a Mr. T. Batchelor, of 

 Yew Tree Farm, Southborough, Kent— could also offer Daplidice, Lathonia, 

 Sacraria, Purpuraria and other similar insects, in the most innocent manner, 

 being quite " a young beginner/' and willing to accept anything useful in 

 return for these species. Mr. Batchelor' s letters were hunted up and com- 

 pared with those of "J. Brooks, 11, Granville Eoad, Tunbridge Wells, " and 

 they were identical. The least experienced in handwriting could not doubt 

 the fact, and the style was the same innocent unsuspecting sort of thing that 

 made one wonder whether Mr. T. Batchelor was a knave or a victim. The 

 same errors in spelling, too, were found in the letters, both gentlemen were 

 " bussy," both " recieved" the insects, and both remained " yours truely." 

 It was a good idea that, after having both been victimized by Mr. Batchelor, 

 my friend, who is rather wideawake, should be done a second time. Are 

 there any other 'victims ? I shall be glad to forward the letters to any desi- 

 rous of examining them. 



NOTE ON A PART OF THE GREAT COLLEC- 

 TION OF LEPIDOPTERA RECENTY BE- 

 QUEATHED TO THE PUBLIC MUSEUM AT 

 LIVERPOOL, BY THE LATE NICHOLAS 

 COOKE, ESQ., OF LISCARD, CHESHIRE, 



By C. S. GREGSON. 



I have just returned from the ninth associated Soiree of the Scientific, 

 Literary and Art Societies of Liverpool, held to-night, at St. George's Hall, 

 and there saw exhibited a portion of the great collection of Lepidoptera 

 presented to the Liverpool Eree Museum, by my late friend Nicholas Cooke. 

 This extensive collection contains the whole of the magnificient collection of 

 purely British Lepidoptera collected by my late friend Noah Greening, of 

 Warrington ; and with a part of them is now incorporated part of Mr. 

 Cooke's own collection, which, unfortunately, is not exclusively British. Nay, 

 it contains series of reputed British species, and to these he has added every 

 species that the dealers have introduced as British, the result being a fine 



