202 
NATURE NOTES. 
It is quite time for naturalists to impress upon the “young 
collector ” (often a sinner in this respect, rather from inexperience 
than from intention), that it is a crime to destroy a single 
specimen more than he absolutely requires. In future we hope 
to see this lesson insisted on as of the first importance in every 
new book that issues from the press, or we shall soon reduce the 
number of species of British Lepidoptera to the level of those of 
Iceland or Greenland. In justice, however, to Mr. Morley, we 
must allow that he speaks very strongly on this point. Selbor- 
nians will be glad to have his good advice transcribed. We 
have made a few excisions in the passage, as the author’s style 
is somewhat diffuse. 
I want to say a few words about catching butterflies and moths. These lovely 
insects have been given to us by an all-wise Creator for our enjoyment and 
admiration, but it is not right that we should pursue these creatures merely for 
the sake of capturing them, killing them, and when tired of looking at them, 
throwing them away. As soon as you have captured the insect, examine it well ; 
if it be not one of the sort you require, let the pretty creature fly away ; or if it 
.should be an insect that you want, but which is by no means uncommon, and it 
should be damaged or worn in any way, release it at once. Had this practice 
been invariably adopted, there is very good reason for believing that many British 
Lepidoptera now thought to be extinct would not have become so, and that others 
which are now extremely rare in their occurrence would have been more plentiful. 
There is another point, equally important to the beginner, it is this ; If at anytime 
he is searching in a good well known district for certain butterflies or moths, and 
comes across a large number of a certain good specimen [species ?], let him be 
satisfied with taking only a fair number (he will know how many his box will 
hold)* of that which he has discovered in plenty. 
Many years ago I was travelling in the New Forest and came upon a youn^ 
man bent on the same errand as myself. Among all true entomologists there is 
a kind of freemasonry which is very agreeable, and much useful and interesting 
information may be given when brother entomologists meet. I stopped and 
spoke a few words, and asked him if he had had good luck, and so forth, when 
to my surprise, he told me that he had suddenly come upon a spot in which 
L. quadra (the four-spotted footman) were swarming, and that he himself had 
taken several hundreds of the insects. I bade him a hasty adieu, but before 
parting gave him, in as gentlemanly way as I could, a piece of my mind upon the 
gross wantonness of his act. Selfi.sh persons such as he are not thorough sports- 
men, and do not care a straw if the species becomes rare, so long as they have 
plenty of the specimens. All I can say to such is that they are not entomologists 
in any sense of the word. 
We may cite further warnings, and additional evidence for 
their necessity, from Mr. J. W. Tutt’s recent book on British 
Butterflies. Speaking of the Heath Vn\.\\\a.xy {Melitaa Athalia) 
he says : — 
It is restricted to a few English counties, of which Kent, perhaps, was the chief, 
but collectors have utterly exterminated it in many parts of that county. We 
have seen as many as twelve or fifteen collectors from Hartford, Erith, and 
various parts of London, working against one another in a piece of ground not 
more than fifty yards square, in which this species formerly aliounded in Chatten- 
den Woods ; snapping up every individual, good, bad, or indifl'erent, till not a 
specimen was to be found, and repeating the ojicration (only with a partially 
fresh contingent of collectors) every day, whilst the species lasted. From 1871-5 
the species was in thousands in these woods; from 1875-80 it was scarce, and 
[* We do not think he need be encouraged to take as many as “his box will 
hold.”— W. F. K.] 
