94 
THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCES. 
I think, Sir, if entomologists would 
put fairly before them the true value of 
Entomology as a Science, and consider 
in what way they realize to themselves 
or enhance to others that value, in the 
pursuit of their favourite Science, — in 
other words, “ to wbat end do they 
labour?” — then much good would be 
done to encourage a more liberal spirit. 
The first, but lowest, aim of En- 
tomology is to collect specimens; letters 
you must have before you read ; with 
letters you form words, with words sen- 
tences; these have a meaning. Your 
insects are your letters; genera, words; 
families, books — alas ! how few of us can 
read these books and interpret their 
meaning ! 
What Science, then, is there in col- 
lecting? none; but it fosters and de- 
velops useful qualities of the mind and 
gives health to the body, and is thus 
useful recreation to the man of business; 
it leads, moreover, to the second great 
aim of Entomology — the observation of 
insect-life and economy, and this di- 
gested, generalized and approved is of 
great import and value, for I think that to 
know well the history of any one common 
insect is of far greater value than to 
possess an unique specimen of the rarest 
British Lepidoptera. 
There is truly a province, as yet almost 
unworked, of the utmost value and 
interest, where there is room for us all 
to work without envy or grudge of one 
another — the investigation of the grand 
entomological scheme of the Creator, as 
a whole and in its individual parts: to 
what purpose and use is each insect 
formed? what part does each play in the 
economy of matter and existence, — the 
limits of insect-life, generation, food, 
parasites, peculiarity of organization? 
Surely in this vast field all may labour. 
I would wish to indicate a something 
higher to those who seem to me to think 
that the possession of a rare insect or a 
fine collection is the great end of their 
existence. 
And I think that the further we get in 
investigating the grand work of Ento- 
mology the less likely are we to envy 
those whose sole pleasure in Entomology 
seems to be the “ amor habendi.” 
I remain, Sir, 
Yours, &c., 
Alex. Wallace, M.B. 
23, Bedford Place. 
NOTICES OF BOOKS. 
The Entomologist's Annual for 1861. 
W iih coloured plate. Price Half-a- 
Crown. London : John Van Voorst, 
1 , Paternoster Row. 
The seventh volume of the ‘ Annual ’ is 
before us; in the six years that have 
elapsed since the first appearance of the 
yellow-wrappered ‘Annual’ how much 
has taken place in the world of Ento- 
mology! It is quite startling if we go 
back a few years to find the altered state 
of circumstances which then existed. 
In the new volume of the ‘Annual’ 
Dr. Hagen has contributed thirty-two 
pages ; of these a portion is devoted to 
the conclusion of his Synopsis of the 
British Phrygauidae: his concluding re- 
mark is as follows : — 
“In lieu of the 188 species of Phry- 
ganidse given by Stephens 108 only are 
here described. The remainder are some 
of them synonyms, some of them the 
other sex ; still I consider it very pro- 
bable that some of the reductions made 
by me will prove erroneous. However, 
a comparison with the fauna of other 
