[With Plate.] 



gorauj llatnralist: 



A Penny Weekly Magazine of Natural History. 



No. 55. 



NOVEMBER 13th, 1880. 



Vol. 2. 



EXCHANGE. 



SOME people do not believe in 

 Exchange. They think the Col- 

 lector will learn more by taking his 

 own specimens, and no doubt that is 

 right enough if every collector was 

 able to go from home to collect when- 1 

 ever he wanted to make an addition to 

 his cabinet. But there are a large 

 number of Naturalists who have neither 

 time nor means to go much from 

 home, and Exchange is to them the | 

 only means of enlarging their collec- j 

 tions. We are quite aware of the 

 tame of purely local museums, either 

 public or private, but our insular 

 fauna is so limited that almost eveiy 

 one desires to obtain the whole of the 

 British species in whatever department 

 of Natural History he is collecting. 

 To the Botanist, the Entomologist, the 

 Conchologist, &c., whose specimens 

 are neither large nor heavy, the 

 facilities offered by our postal service 

 have been so great, that even before 

 the reduction in the parcels postage, 

 Exchanges were continually being 

 effected to the advantage of both 

 parties, except, when from careless 

 packing or rough usage they were 



damaged or destroyed in transit. 

 Botanists have for many years had an 

 " Exchange Club," which has rendered 

 good service by the distribution of 

 large numbers of rare and local plants. 

 More recently a second Botanical Ex- 

 change Club has been begun in connec- 

 tion with Science Gossip, which has 

 also proved of great value to its mem- 

 bers. Many years ago, an Entomo- 

 logical Exchange Club was commenced, 

 and the present writer for one, obtained 

 through it many species he had never 

 seen before, and might have been a 

 long time in obtaining through ordinary 

 means. Why this club was discon- 

 tinued we never knew. The principal 

 of all these clubs is the same. Mem- 

 bers residing where any rare or local 

 species can be obtained endeavour to 

 procure a larger supply than they need 

 for themselves. These duplicates are 

 sent to a central depot, along with lists 

 of what each contributor desires in 

 return. The whole ~ of the specimens 

 are then shared out. The members 

 sending the largest and best parcels are 

 served first, and the others in turn, so 

 that each person obtains a fair return 

 for their consignments. We annoimcea 



