MosLEY : Hints to Yorkshire Entomologists. 



117 



attractive tlian tlie lepidoptera, to which all young entomologists seem 

 to flock. I intend, during the coming year, to- pay special attention 

 to the Diptera of Yorkshire, and I should be very pleased either to 

 give or receive help in this line. When entomologists come across 

 anything unusual, it would be an easy matter to run a pin through 

 the insect, and label as to locality (when there is a lot from one 

 locality it will be sufficient to label the box), and I should always be 

 very glad to send insects of other orders in return. 



Hemiptera seems, in our county, almost a dead letter. How 

 interesting must this class of insects be, not only entomologically but 

 botanically — but alas ! how despised 1 While lepidoptera are almost 

 choked with students (or collectors), I know of no Yorkshire Hemip- 

 terist since the death of Mr. Wilkinson. 



I hope that, during the coming excursions of the Union, I may 

 meet with some persons who are proud of being collectors of bugs ; 

 I intend to make acquaintance with a portion — the PsylUda at least. 

 Then there is the order Hymenoptera ; more workers are required 

 in it, and especially in the Ichneumonidae and saw-flies. Our 

 secretary (Mr. Roebuck) would, I am sure, be very pleased to give 

 any help he can ; and it must be very gratifying to him to learn 

 that others have promised to take up portions. Lepidopterists could 

 help very materially in the ichneumon flies if they would take care of 

 the specimens they breed ; these should have notes attached to the 

 pin as to the species from which they were bred ; in fact, nothing 

 should be done without notes. We want to know more of Yorkshire 

 gall insects, and there is plenty of room here for those who are only 

 naturalists because they pay a yearly subscription to some society. 

 Drones ought to be worried at the year end with a pricking con- 

 sciousness that they have done no work. 



Neuroptera ought to receive more attention than it does. I have 

 seen some very beautiful specimens in Yorkshire, and we ought to 

 have someone somewhere who could tell us what all these are. 

 Another division is the Orthoptera^ including the grasshoppers, cock- 

 roaches, &c. ; and as bulk is not taken into consideration by scientific 

 men, somebody should " do " the Thymnura^ Columbola, and other 

 branches of the apterous orders of insects. 



Then comes that great family just outside the insect world — the 

 spiders. These require special attention. I have collected a few 

 Yorkshire species, but we want some of our members to make a study 

 of them. The great obstacle to this class is that there is at present 

 no known satisfactory method of preserving them. That of keeping 



