The TOUHO Sm^EAllST: 



A Penny Weekly Magazine of Natural History. 



No. no. DECEMBER 17th, 1881. Vol. 3. 



ASSISTANT NATURALISTS. 



DURIXG the past few months there 

 has been published from time to 

 time, in the pages of Science Gossip, a 

 list of gentlemen who have special 

 knowledge of some branch of Natural 

 History, and who are willing, by 

 correspondence or otherwise, to help 

 beginners. We have no doubt very 

 valuable results have followed the pub- 

 lication of these lists, and we do not see 

 why we should be slow to avail our- 

 selves of a like advantage if it can be 

 had. The names we have published of 

 those who are glad to see Entomologists 

 At Home " to show their collections, 

 name specimens, or give other infor- 

 mation, has we know been of consider- 

 use, but there are doubtless many who 

 are willing to help beginners, but who 

 cannot make it convenient to announce 

 a time at which they will be at liberty 

 at their own houses. There are also 

 numbers of beginners who do not live 

 near any of those gentlemen who so 

 kindly invite visitors to call upon them, 

 or who cannot be at liberty at the 

 hours announced. We have always 

 been glad to name specimens sent by 

 post, or give such' information as lay in 

 our power, and we have been pleased 



to have much correspondence with some 

 of our young readers, and hope we 

 have been able to assist them. But a 

 larger list of names would be of more 

 service, and would often save consider- 

 able lime. It has frequently happened 

 that specimens have been sent us to name, 

 in branches with which we were not 

 familiar. Wc have had to send them 

 elsewhere, taking the risk of an extra 

 transmission through the post — never 

 too safe a mode for fragile specimens — 

 besides the extra expense and delay. 

 This would be avoided if we could 

 publish a list of names of gentlemen, 

 with particulars of the branch or 

 branches of Natural History which they 

 studied, who would take the trouble 

 to name specimens or in any other way 

 assist beginners through the post. As 

 for instance : — 



John Beown, Belle Yue Villa, Burn- 

 chester. Macro-Lepidoptera and 

 Coleopiera, 



Tkomas Jones, "West Hartley, near 

 lEorningham. Botany : especially 

 Flowering plants and Eerns. 



Isaac Robinson, Alton Road, Pow- 

 den. Land and Eresh Water Shells. 

 Will also name British Marine 



