April 1934. 
The Queensland Naturalist 
23 
adopted by members: — 
(a) A Collection of insects from a definite area. — This 
method was adopted by Dr. C. A. Waterhouse, who made 
a very interesting collection of insects, all of which were 
actually caught in his garden at North Sydney. The mak- 
ing of this collection gave him and his family consider- 
able pleasure for a number of years, several thousand 
species being collected. 
(b) Collection of acquatic insects. — There is plenty of 
scope for a collection of this type round Brisbane, and 
such a collection would include a wide range of insects. 
( c ) A collection of the species of a taxonomic unity 
such as an order, family, or genus. It is in this way that 
most systematic workers in Entomology commence. 
In spite of the above, collecting alone is not recom- 
mended for Club members, although a certain amount of 
collecting is necessary in most entomological work. Mem- 
bers are strongly advised to go in for real Natural History, 
and to take as their ideal that great French Naturalist, 
Fabre. In fact, it would be a good idea if all prospective 
members were asked to read at least one of Fabre ’s books 
before election. Such work usually involves the identifica- 
tion of the insect being studied, the working out of the 
full details of its life cycle from egg to adult, the seasonal 
history, i.e., the; number and duration of generations in a 
year; the relations of the insect to its host or hosts; its 
relation to other insects; and finally a complete study of 
its habits and behaviour. Simple homely experiments are 
all that are required, and the interest and pleasure derived 
from the work are out of proportion to the labour in- 
volved. As in the case of collecting it is essential that a 
study of the natural history of insects be restricted in some 
way. The following are suggestions which may prove of 
interest to members. 
(a) Study of the insects associated ivith some natural 
botanical group. — Wattle, Banksia, Cassia, Mangrove, and 
Tea-tree, are only a few that might be mentioned, any one 
of which acts as a host for a large variety of insects, the 
majority of which have not been studied by naturalists. 
It would be advisable for a beginner td confine his atten- 
tion to one particular host species, and preferably to one 
or two plants. Eucalypts support many insects, but ex- 
cept in their young stages are rather inaccessible. For 
naturalists who prefer to devote their attention to prob- 
lems with an economic bias, a study of the insect pests of 
weeds, grasses, or garden flowers would provide an inter- 
esting and useful piece of work. Research on the insect 
pests of our native grasses has been neglected in the past, 
