THE 
WEEKLY ENTOMOLOGIST. 
“ ENTOMA aUIDQUID AGTJNT NOSTRI FST FARRAGO LIBELLI.” 
No. 4.] SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1862. [Price 2d. 
COLLECTORS AND ENTOMOLOGISTS. 
0' difference of opinion 
^ prevails as to tlie propriety 
of designating all Collectors of In- 
sects Entomologists. There are 
some who hold that no one who 
confines himself to the study of a 
single order, has a right to the title. 
Some, on the other hand, would feel 
very much hurt at being styled 
Collectors, because they are merely 
Lepidopterists. Others again, never 
even care to claim the name of Ento- 
mologist. Their professed object in 
collecting, is not to stu<}y insects, or 
even to classify them, but simply to 
make a display for their mantel- 
pieces, to gratify their ideas of the 
beautiful, or to give them something 
to do when they have nothing el* to 
employ their time. And yet, this lat- 
ter class of Collectors are often no less 
ardent in the pursuit of their game, 
than the most scientific Entomologist, 
and their success in capturing rare 
species is sometimes most signally re- 
markable. Now we are not of opinion 
that, to deserve the title of Entomol- 
ogist, it is at all indispensable that a 
man should collect all orders of 
Insects. For the term Entomologist 
expresses nothing more than that 
a man is a student of Insects ; and 
does not, or need not, even imply that 
he is a Panentomologist, — if we may 
coin the word. And, indeed, so 
short is time, and so vast is Nature, 
that a man has a far better chance of 
benefiting Science and of acquiring 
for himself substantial acquaintance 
with her facts, if he confines himself 
to a single order, or perhaps to a 
single group, than if he tries to cram 
the universe into a place that was 
never meant to hold it, namely, the 
very limited space inclosed by the 
circumference of his pericranium. 
It is true, that the number of Dip- 
terists and ETymenopterists, is lamen- 
tably small as compared with that of 
Lepidopterists ; and the Hemipterist, 
the Orthopterist and the Homoptcrist 
are of a still more isolated occurrence. 
. But is that because Lepidopterists 
are too many, or because students of 
other orders are too few? At the 
same time, far be it from us to find 
fault with those, whose minds are 
large and expansive enough to 
embrace the whole marvellous econ- 
omy of Insect creation. Ear be it 
from us to blame them, but further 
still, to commend that third class of 
