SCIte O'omtq OTiiralist: 



^ v — y 



A Penny Weekly Magazine of Natural History. 



No. 08. 



JANUARY 8tp, 1881, 



Vol. 2. 



CAPTURES. 



WE complained during last sum- 

 mer, that the records of cap- 

 ture now-a-days, were much fewer in 

 number than they used to be twenty 

 years agt>. Several correspondents re- 

 sponded to the article, by sending 

 " captures," and we quite expect to 

 have an increased number sent us 

 during the ensuing season. It maybe 

 worth while to say a word or two to 

 our younger readers as to the Mature of 

 the ^captures'" that arc worth publish- 

 ing. Many do not send' their notes, 

 because they do not know if they are 

 worth printing. There is a great dif- 

 ference in collectors for this ; one 

 would rush into print with an account 

 of the capture of a Common White, 

 while another holds back the discovery 

 of a novelty, until some one else takes 

 it, who, announcing it *at once, gains 

 the honor, which did not belong to 

 him, of being its first discoverer. AVe 

 would Urge our readers to send us all 

 captures of interest, and we will tell 

 them what we call captures of interest 

 in the course of this article. Should 

 this result in a larger number of com- 



munications fclmn we could find space 

 for, we would, of course, select the 

 more important, hut we will promise 

 our correspondents, that nothing really 

 worth printing shall be left out, even 

 if we have to increase the size of our 

 paper to do it. 



First in importance, of course, is the 

 Capture of a New Species. This but 

 few can expect to make, though new 

 species are discovered every year, and 

 may as readily fall to your net, as to 

 that of another. Try. Captures of 

 rarities are second in importance, par- 

 ticularly the rediscovery of a species 

 I that had not been taken for a long 

 I time, or one for which no certain 

 I localities are known. Captures of 

 I species that occur in but few places are 

 i interesting, especially when taken where 

 it has not occurred before. Common 

 i things are worth recording under the 

 same circumstances — when taken where 

 they have not occurred before, or in a 

 situation different to their usual habitat. 

 The capture of moorland insects on the 

 sea coast, of southern species in the 

 north, of insects whose larvae feed on 

 a food that does not occur where it 

 was taken, or anything similar to 

 these, is always worth printing. Time 



