THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
135 
works that are required on any section, 
and to give every facility for the study of 
other brunches of Entomology.” 
Robert Anderson, Hon. Sec. 
York; Jan. 7, 18(10. 
THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SURVEY. 
To the Editor of the ‘ Intelligencer.' 
Sir, — It will readily be granted that 
your correspondent “A” is quite justified 
in bis appreciation of the danger which 
would arise from attempting premature 
conclusions, if founded upon imperfect 
data; but has he not put the case some- 
what unfairly when speaking, in a late 
number (Tntell. No. 168) of the “ narrow 
views” of British entomologists? — nar- 
row, it is implied, in geographical as 
well as in other matters. 
It seems to me that one might as well 
disparage any attempt at constructing 
an exact Geological Map of Britain if 
there were no equally accurate survey of 
the adjacent parts of Europe. Surely it 
is something gained when the Briton can 
point to his Flora as more perfectly ex- 
plored than that of any other country; 
and if the same plan be found applicable 
to the Insect Fauna, we can well afford 
to wait for some future Forbes to elicit 
the general laws, when the foreign por- 
tion of the range shall have been as 
carefully investigated. 
Nor is the arrangement of the eighteen 
provinces of Mr. Watson so arbitrary and 
unnatural but that it affords a safer 
ground-work for the first steps than the 
more vague designation of “ North and 
South by East and West limits,” though 
of course our studies ought very properly 
to include the particulars of climate, soil, 
vegetation, altitude, &c., where possible. 
If “A” would but urge the Continentalists 
to bestow equal pains in the same direc- 
tion, he might hope to open a safer road 
to the desired result than by recom- 
mending us to do the British and Conti- 
nental work equally imperfectly. No 
one who has thought at all about it 
can pretend to call the British distribu- 
tion of an insect anything more than a 
fragment. 
A Briton. 
LABELLING INSECTS. 
To the Editor' of the ‘ Intelligencer.' 
Sir, — I am arranging my Lepidoptera 
in a way not generally, I believe, prac- 
tised, but which seems to offer great 
advantages. To each specimen I affix 
underneath a printed numeral, com- 
mencing at No. 1 with each species: 
thus, my series of Acheronl.ia Atropos is 
numbered from 1 to 6; of Pamphila 
Linea from 1 to 12. 
The numeral-paper is about a quarter 
of an inch square, and printed on both 
sides to save trouble. I register each 
species and specimen by its numeral in 
my note-book with a date and mode of 
capture, purchase or donor ; thereby 
giving to each specimen in my collection 
a separate pedigree, very valuable to 
those who, like myself, wish to know the 
history of each one of their insects, and 
much more trustworthy and valuable for 
scientific comparison than the present 
mode of almost entirely trusting to me- 
mory, which latter, dying with its owner, 
can leave no fruit; but each insect thus 
registered for ever retains its value, while 
the note-book remains for reference. 
The trouble of registering may be 
greater tliau lazy entomologists like, but 
it is well worth their while. 
