THE ENTOMOLOGISTS 
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
No. 215.] SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1860. [Price Id. 
FOX-HUNTING. 
One of our correspondents lately sent 
us the following: — 
“ R. L. B. No. 54. 
“ A Packet addressed to you, 
containing Caterpillers, has this day 
been destroyed in the Returned Letter 
Branch of this Department, it being 
contrary to regulations to allow such 
matter to circulate through the Post 
Office. 
“ Rowland Hill. 
Secretary. 
“General Post Office, 
2 9th of October, 1860. 
“H. & G. 1000. 91 59.” 
The whole of the above was a printed 
form, with the addition in writing of 
the words in italics. Most of our 
readers will probably feel disposed to 
express surprise at entomologists re- 
ceiving such treatment from the Post 
Office, of which they are such good 
customers ; but it occurs to us, on 
mature reflection, that the aforesaid 
caterpillars were destroyed, not because 
they were sent by post, but because 
being so sent they got loose, and of 
course it would never do to have cater- 
pillars at large in the letter-bags. 
Caterpillars (we adopt the ordinary 
mode of spelling, and not the official 
mode), if well packed in trustworthy 
boxes, will pass safely enough through 
the tender mercies of the Post Office; 
but if the box be so slight that it be 
squashed, and we have often received 
squashed chip-boxes from ignoramuses, 
the loss of the caterpillars must almost 
inevitably ensue, and it is no greater 
loss whether the caterpillars be de- 
stroyed inadvertently or officially. 
On the present occasion the larvoe 
which have attained so great a notoriety 
were Lasiocampa Rubi : now it is pos- 
sible that these larvae might irritate 
the sensitive skin of some of the letter- 
sorters; they frequently have the effect 
of producing nettle-rash if incautiously 
handled, and our readers must at once 
see that if such an effect were produced 
a fearful aggravation of the Post Office 
indignation would ensue. 
Various notices have lately appeared 
in the ‘Times’ and elsewhere of hairy 
caterpillars producing irritation of skin, 
illness and even death. Should such 
instruments of torture be allowed to 
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