86 
THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
This is no romance, but the true feelings 
of hundreds of gentlemen who are de 
voted to what should be a social and 
unselfish Science. 
To these sort of emotions the barterer 
is a stranger ; he, too, has his pleasures, 
as far as receiving is concerned ; his col- 
lection affords no grateful reminiscences 
of kindnesses from respected friends or 
correspondents; he is quite content to 
know that a rarity is in his cabinet, and 
to gloat over it. If any feeling enters 
his heart it is to chuckle over how little 
it cost him by “exchange” — how cleverly 
he “did” that fool Soandso out of it: 
perhaps, though, it has cost him more 
than he thinks, for Soandso has now got 
something else which Mr. Huxter ivanls, 
but “once bit twice shy” is now S.’s 
motto, or not being quite so “green” he 
plays back a few cards which will cause 
friend Huxter many a pang. 
Reader, which is the most pleasant of 
the two ! 
“ But it is a tedious process,” says the 
incipient Barnes. 
Well, yes, if you only intend to pursue 
Entomology for a year or two, perhaps it 
is a tedious process, — you will get on 
quicker by barter, — but if it is your in- 
tention to make a collection then I beg 
to differ with you ; for, after a certain 
point you will find that your chances are 
diminished in exact proportion to the 
extent to which you are known as a 
barterer and to the degree of illiberality 
to which you have carried your transac- 
tions. What free-giver, think ye, will 
bestow a favour unconditionally upon 
you, to encourage a system which he 
despises P or stoop to drive a bargain 
with you ? or what barterer will eke out 
his rarity to you without applying “ the 
screw” to such a degree that — even if 
you are lucky enough to obtain it — half 
your pleasure would be gone, as you 
could not possibly chuckle over that 
which had cost you so dearly ? and, 
moreover, you will probably fiud that it 
is not so “rare” after all, and that it 
has heen sent quite unconditionally to 
others. 
No! no! depend upon it bartering is 
a bad game in the long run. 
But my letter is already long enough 
for your pages, though inadequate for 
the evil. Let others step forward and 
act in a good cause, that the day may 
come (and it will come) when men of 
Science shall treat the monster Barter as 
a horrid phantasm of the past, or despise 
it as heartily as 
Your obedient servant, 
Anti-Barter. 
AN INSECT EXCHANGE CLUB. 
To the Editor of the ‘ Intelligencer .* 
Sir, — The frequent complaints I have 
lately heard of the unsatisfactory working 
of the present system of “ exchange,” and 
the remarks in a recent leading article 
(Int. vol. ix. p. 65), have led me to hope 
that entomologists will perhaps take into 
consideration the question of establishing 
a central “ Insect Exchange Club,” some- 
what on the model of that which, for 
many years past, has been found so useful 
to the botanical fraternity. 
In case some of your readers should 
not be familiar with the method in use 
among botanists, I may just mention 
that, at the close of the season, each 
membpr sends his parcel of spare speci- 
mens (together with his list of desiderata) 
to the central committee ; and these again 
redistribute the specimens among the 
several contributors, giving the preference 
