THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



[May, 



Gossiping Notes on British Coleoptera. 



By G. A. LEWCOCK. 



I. SYNONOMY. 



After the recent interesting historical account of the Nomenclature 

 of Coleoptera, I am afraid that my contribution to the pages of the 

 Young Naturalist on a kindred subject will seem somewhat tame and 

 common place. However, there is one thing arising from the paper 

 to which the attention of Coleopterists might be advantageously 

 directed, and it is a question which often perplexed and puzzled many 

 of our young students, namely the synonomy of the various orders of 

 Entomology. Now, of recent years, we have experienced many 

 changes of nomenclature, and entomologists, as a rule, are decidedly 

 averse to these changes, and this is more especially the case with 

 those who for long years have accustomed themselves to the use of a 

 certain list. Instance of this, occurred to myself but a short time ago, 

 when interchanging duplicates with another coleopterist. I wrote to 

 a correspondent, asking him what list he used, adding that I preferred 

 Fowler and Matthews' catalogue for neatness of printing, although I 

 adopted Dr. Sharp's catalogue for classification. The reply was 

 short and decisive : — " I have used Waterhouse's catalogue for years, 

 and I am not going on other people's lines now." This sentiment, I 

 think, may be taken as a fair sample of that which prevades the entire 

 entomological world, and this remark will, I feel sure, be fully 

 endorsed by lepidopterists in general. As another case in point, I 

 need but refer to the dissatisfaction expressed with Mr. South's "List 

 of British Lepidoptera," chiefly owing to the extensive alterations 

 which had been made in the nomenclature of Doubleday's list. Now, 

 whether this feeling arises from what is termed " Insular prejudice," 

 or otherwise, I leave every one to form their own opinion ; but, 

 speaking for myself, I am inclined to think that it is not attributable 

 to " prejudice." This much I do say, that the majority of persons 

 who collect insects in this country are much more interested in 

 indigenous than foreign species, because, except for the intermittent 

 occurrence of a few stragglers, the latter are not within easy reach of 

 their net, and, therefore, the fact of the British list not being in strict 

 accordance with that of the continental authorities is a matter of no 

 consequence to them and one of the last things they would care about. 

 Having once named their specimens by a standard list, they would 

 prefer keeping to that list, because the names are to a great extent 



