The VOUHG HATOBAMST : 



A Penny Weekly Magazine of Natural History. 



No. 93. AUGUST 20th, 1881. Vol. 2. 



COLLECTORS AND COL- 

 LECTORS. 



No. 1. 



THAT there are Collectors of more 

 than one species, there can be no 

 doubt. Nay, there is that much differ- 

 ence between one and another as almost 

 to be generic. There is the collector of 

 the type called "Young Barnes " in the 

 days of the "Intelligencer." He works 

 hard in a way. Let him find out where 

 a good insect may be had, and you will 

 see him there every day till it is over. 

 When the time for larvae comes round, 

 he is there again, taking all he can find. 

 Then he will try for the pupae, and 

 should any escape him in their early 

 stages, he is safe to get the imagines. 

 Next year, his informant goes for a 

 series for a friend — he cannot find any ; 

 they are all gone, and he wonders what 

 has caused their sudden disappearance. 

 The exterminator, if of the Young 

 Barnes type, does not say anything about 

 his success. He has a store box full of the 

 rarity, and he watches the announce- 

 ments of " Exchange " with a price list 

 in his hand. When he sees a species 

 mnounced as in duplicate that he has 

 iot got, and that is priced at more money 

 n^the dealer's catalogue, he offers his 



specimens in exchange. Of course he 

 drives a hard bargain, he must have 

 the same number at least in return, 

 more if he can get them. They must 

 be in perfect condition, and should one 

 of them loss an antennae or two in 

 transit, he will carefully knock off an 

 equal number from the insects he is 

 returning, so that his correspondent 

 shall not have the best of the bargain. 

 He hears that another rarity has occurred 

 in his neighbourhood. The person who 

 has found it has not made the locality 

 public, but our friend offers him a series 

 of his rarity for a disclosure of the 

 locality for the other. Not that he 

 wants more than a series. 0 dear, no ! 

 But he has such a desire to have as 

 many specimens in his collection, of his 

 own taking, as he can possibly get. He 

 will promise not to reveal the locality, 

 &c, &c. At last he prevails : the dis- 

 closure is made : another store box of 

 rarities is in his possession, and another 

 rare or local insect is almost extermi- 

 nated. Some species may be cleared 

 out in a season, others take two or three, 

 or even more ; but while there are any 

 to get at all, our friend is there with 

 net and boxes ; and even if the speci- 

 mens are so wasted as to be worthless, 



