362 



THE YOUNG 



NATUEALIST. 



The beginner calls it lariciata, and the 

 specimen so named misleads him for 

 many a day, until he learns for him- 

 self the characteristics of the species. 

 These very knowing people make mis- 

 takes innumerable in their ignorance, 

 but the mischief does not end there. 

 The beginner offers a species for ex- 

 change, whose name he obtained in this 

 way. He sends his specimens away — 

 many of them to beginners like him- 

 self ; they are accepted as correct, and 

 the specimens marked off as not re- 

 quired in their exchange lists. But 

 examples reach one who knows the 

 species, and are returned. If the re- 

 ceiver is short-tempered, perhaps an 

 abusive note comes with them. If he 

 is the reverse, he will try to point out 

 the differences between the species sent 

 and that offered. Yet again, the ad- 

 vertiser may still have doubts wlien so 

 many have accepted the specimens as 

 being correctly named and only one 

 has objected to it. "We know a case 

 of this sort ourselves, where a wrongly- 

 named insect was sent us in exchange . 

 We^ of course, were of the amiable 

 type of collector, and returned the 

 specimens with the correct name, and an 

 attempt to show where the two differed. 

 In reply we received an abusive note 

 So many collectors had been satisfied 

 with the specimens sent and had re- 

 turned good exchanges, and, to begin 

 with, the insect was named for them 

 by an entomologist who was *'well 



up,'' and so on. But the specimens 

 were wrongly named for all that. No 

 doubt it is difficult for beginners to 

 discriminate as to who is best qualified 

 to help them, and the officious ignora- 

 mus will very likely be preferred before 

 the really intelligent entomologist who 

 does not obtrude himself on every 

 possible occasion. We advise begin- 

 ners then to take special pains to have 

 their unknown insects correctly named 

 for them, and never to accept the dic- 

 tum of an von e until thev have verified 

 it by a careful comparison of the insect 

 with a description of it in some standard 

 book such as Stainton's Manual. To 

 have an insect named for you, even 

 correctly, helps you very Httle. You 

 want to study and understand its 

 markings yourself. It is quite right 

 for you to get it named when you can, 

 but, in the first place, endeavour to 

 have it correctly named ; and in the 

 second, when you have got that done, 

 go to your book and compare the in- 

 sect line for line and mark for mark 

 with the printed description. If they 

 agree, you may conclude you are right ; 

 if they do not, then you must seek 

 further information before you are 

 satisfied. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



All commuuications to be sent to J. E. Robson, 15, 

 Northgate, Hartlepool; or to S. L. Mosley Beau- 

 mont Park, Huddersfielcl. 



Subscriptions for Vol. III. are now past 

 due, and we will be glad to have remit- 



