THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
173 
more readily than that of genera, even to 
an experienced entomologist. 
In conclusion, let me say that the 
journal advocated by you in your leading 
article seems to merit the highest ap- 
probation, both from the economising of 
time and space, and from giving the 
pleasure of sending with any duplicate 
an exact account of the time and place 
of capture. 
Yours, &c., 
Richard Tyrer, jdn. 
Hill House , Eye. 
To the Editor of the ‘Intelligencer.' 
Sir, — I think every entomologist must 
acknowledge the importance of having a 
good system of registering their captures, 
and that the more simple it is the more 
useful it will prove. The only way to 
arrive at the best plan is for collectors to 
give their ideas and experience on the 
subject, as it may be possible to work a 
perfect system out of several which were 
not quite perfect. After studying the 
propositions of Mr. Tyrer, jun., and Mr. 
Wallace, I propose the following plan as 
an improvement. 
Let the entries of captures be num- 
bered consecutively to 999, then write A 
for 1000, A 1 for 1001, and so on; B for 
2000, C for 3000. The object of this is 
to prevent the labels becoming too large, 
besides, in looking at the label under an 
insect, J 027 would be easier made out 
than 10,027. Where there is a set or 
number of one species taken at the same 
time and place, I would number them 
alike. The register should be ruled on 
the left hand page, for the numbers, the 
date, the locality and remarks ; the right- 
hand page leave blank for this purpose : — 
suppose you procure an insect you took 
the year before, I would enter it on the 
blank page, opposite the entry of the 
previous one, give it the same number, 
with the addition of a mark, thus 247, 
and its history ; the species taken again 
the following year would be entered in 
the same place, thus 247. 
By this means a collector would be 
able to refer to the history of every 
cabinet and duplicate insect he possessed, 
whether got by presentation, breeding or 
otherwise ; and he would also have the 
captures, See., of the same species for a 
series of years, under his eye at one and 
the same time, without the trouble of re- 
ferring backwards and forwards, which 
does away, in a great measure, with the 
usefulness of a register. 
As this subject is a very important 
one, I should be glad to see the opinions 
of other and more experienced ento- 
mologists on it. 
Yours, &o., 
Charles H. Brown. 
Southport , Feb. 20, 1860. 
COMPANION LAEVA1 . 
To the Editor of the ‘ Intelligencer.' 
Sir, — I am not sure that a reference to 
Darwin’s new book ‘ On the Origin of 
Species’ would corroborate the statement 
in the ‘ Intelligencer’ (p. 157), that we 
(humans) and other creatures of a far 
lower grade are descended from a com- 
mon ancestor, because both sorts of 
animals have attendant “lick-spittles.” 
I should have thought that, according 
to the Darwinian theory, such a wretched 
“variety” would long ago have become 
