162 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



variety should be so rare. Mr Maling, 

 of Newcastle, informed us last year, 

 that having several specimens of both 

 forms out at the same time he tried to 

 pair them, but could not get them to 

 couple according to color, the black 

 ones always pairing with a 

 grey mate, and never with a black one. 

 This preference was singular, and if j 

 the same obtains in a state of nature 

 we would naturally expect the inter- 

 mediate form to be much commoner 

 than it is. 



We are pleased to say our members 

 so far as they have acknowledged 

 receipt, are well satisfied with their 

 return parcels, but we have no reason 

 to expect otherwise. There were only 

 two whom we had any difficulty in 

 selecting for. They sent the largest 

 and best boxes, yet had the best 

 collections, and we felt it would not be 

 fair to give them all the best insects, 

 but even these got a fair return for 

 their parcels, and are well satisfied. 

 But a difficulty like this will not occur 

 again, when we have a larger number 

 of members. If the promises made for 

 the coming season are at all fulfilled, 

 Ave will certainly consider our Club a 

 success. Last season the suggestion 

 and announcements were made too 

 late (November). Most of our friends 

 had already exchanged or given away 

 their best duplicates, and no one knew 

 at all what species would be useful. 

 To utilise the means at our disposal to 

 the best possible advantage, we will be 

 obliged if those who propose to join 

 the club for the coming season will, at 



the earliest convenient date, send us al 

 list of their desiderata marked in fig- r 

 ures, with the number of each species ^ 

 they desire to receive. We will then I 

 as soon as possible forward to each , 

 member a marked list of the require- w 

 ments of the Club. Each will then < 



l 



know what species will be useful, and ^ 

 we have no doubt the results will be 

 satisfactory. Members wi 1 please 

 note, however, in reference to com- 

 paratively abundant insects, that it will 

 not do for a dozen or more to send in (i 



the entire number wanted. Yet there , 



i: 



are many that are locally excessively 

 abundant, but might only fall to ] 

 the net of a single member. Wi \ 

 suggest, therefore, whenever a collector 

 finds himself able to supply the full 1 

 number of species marked in the lists, 

 that he write before doing so, and wait 

 our reply, as we do not wish to have; 

 I any specimens left on hand. Thil L 

 J year we have a few remaining ; these t 

 j we purpose to offer through our ex- 

 change column as soon as we know 

 the desiderata of our members. Some ,. 

 j correspondents haye expressed a desire'. 

 ! to contribute Coleoptera, Birds, Eggs, ; 

 and Shells. These are things always) 

 in demand, and if they will let us haver 

 as early as convenient a full list of their ! 

 duplicates and desiderata we will en- 

 deavour to arrange to suit them. Our 1 

 original idea in the establishment of an. 

 Exchange Club, as will be seen in ourjn 

 first number, was to bring about such 

 a general system, that the members 

 would be able to do better than thev 

 possibly could by the ordinary mode o|i 



