250 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



as we listened to these illiterate pot- 

 house frequenters, we could not but 

 think of the difficulties that would be 

 raised if such names were given to in- 

 sects or birds, or other objects of 

 Natural science. "We jotted down as 

 we stood there " Melodius," " Typhon," 

 " Mycenae," " Eidotto," and a special 

 subject of conversation was a recent 

 trial in which ahorse called "Bend d'or" 

 had been concerned. Some names 

 were even more puzzling than these, 

 but we could not catch them. But if 

 men like these, a poor sample even of 

 the betting fraternity, can learn such 

 names as we have given, surely our 

 readers can do as well, or better. 

 Betting-men neither need to be classical 

 scholars, nor good linguists, to use the 

 names given to horses, why should 

 naturalists think they cannot use 

 scientific names with advantage because 

 they are not deeply read in Greek or 

 Latin. " Bend d'or" could easily be 

 translated into English. Other words 

 could be substituted for classical names 

 or foreign ones, but illiterate and 

 utterly ignorant as many betting men 

 are, the objection is never raised that 

 they cannot follow their fancy, because 

 of the difficulty of the words. Let us 

 then have no more of su'ch objections. 

 We want our readers to know what 

 other people know. We want them to 

 know- what other people mean when 

 they record what they are doing. We 

 certainly desire to make their early 

 steps easy, and to encourage them on 

 their way by removing difficulties, but 

 we do not want to take away from 



them what is absolutely necessary for 

 them, just because it is not easy. 

 We ma.y try to put the pill into k 

 spoonful of preserve, but we do not 

 think of taking away the pill altogether, j 

 and only giving the sw r eet stuff. One; 

 mother teaching her child to talk will 

 imitate the child's mispronunciation, 

 another will repeat the words properly 

 — plainly and distinctly as possible, 

 but correctly pronounced. Which 

 child is likely to learn to talk soonest, 

 and to speak best. Our own children 

 have been accustomed to hear insects, 

 plants, &c, spoken of by their proper 

 names, and they know far more of 

 I them by these scientific titles, thau 

 i most of children know by English 

 names. They can name at sight all 

 ! our common butterflies and moths, 

 i while their companions scarcely know 

 | one from the other, and call all stout 

 . bodied moths "loggerheads." Eveii 

 ! little three-year old came running in 

 , last autumn with a caterpillar in hei 

 hand, saying " I've dot a pisi for Da.' 

 ; Was that not easier even for her little 

 ! tongue than to put the same ink 

 English. 



EXCHANGE. 



Duplicates. — Larv;e (full fed) of A 7 . Zon 

 arm. Desiderata — British or Exotic Cole 

 optera. — John W. Ellis, ioi.Everton Road 

 Liverpool. 



Duplicates. — Io, Atalanta, PolycJiloros, an< 

 many others. Desiderata Larvse of Haw] 

 moths, and other showy things for publi 

 Insectorium. — S. L. Mosley, Beaumonn 

 Park, Huddersfield. 



