THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
o4 
consputus taken in May on the banks of 
a stream in Herringstone Marsh, near 
Dorchester. H. dorsalis in Holme Fen 
in May, and H. Jlavicollis in marshy 
ground near Shanklin. The Bembidia 
now begin to be active, and some are to 
be seen everywhere, both in dry and wet 
places, but others are not so fond of 
showing themselves, and from their re- 
tiring habits and small size are very lia- 
ble to be overlooked. It is not improba- 
ble that there are some more species of 
this family to be added to our native 
list, and if we could only put some of our 
collectors on the search they must be 
found. — J. W. D. 
MISCELLANEA. 
SALE OF THE COLLECTION OF THE 
ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
To the Editor of the ‘ Entomologist's Weekly 
Intelligencer.' 
Sir, — Some time since the Entomolo- 
gical Society decided that they would sell 
all their foreign insects ; and I have since 
looked anxiously for a notice of the sale, 
but none having appeared, may I ven- 
ture to hope that the subject is to be re- 
considered ? 
The whole affair appears one of the 
most extraordinary that has ever come to 
iny knowledge, nor can I think it would 
have passed so quietly had it been fully 
made known to the members. The 
Society, which prides itself on embracing 
the insect economy of the whole world, 
refuses to keep any but pen and ink 
sketches of foreign insects. It advises 
its members to collect when they go 
abroad, and then sells the insects they 
send ! 
Just suppose an instance: a person 
comes from abroad, attends a meeting of 
the Society, and gives some information 
concerning some peculiar insects, he is 
thanked by the Society ; lie reads a 
paper, the Society is much obliged, and 
will print it ; he has drawings to illus- 
trate the subject, the Society is still more 
obliged, and will have a plate engraved 
on purpose; he presents some typical 
insects — ahem ! (aside), they will do well 
to buy that new Noetua! 
Then again look at the disrespect to 
those who have left their collections to 
the Society ; the loss to science by the 
scattering of typical insects ; the deterior- 
ation of the value of papers in the trans- 
actions by the absence of the specimens 
referred to ; and the whole business 
seems a most extraordinary mode of pro- 
moting the science of Entomology. 
And what are the reasons assigned for 
the proceeding ? First, there is want of 
cabinet room : this very much arises 
from a total misconception of the object 
of a Society’s collection. When a private 
individual begins to collect, his lirst ob- 
ject is generally to get something to 
look pretty, and then to make it unique 
by crowding into it as many varieties as 
he can get, and consequently he is 
obliged to add cabinet to cabinet. But 
what has a Society to do with all that? 
Nothing. The object of a public col- 
lection is very much that of a book of 
reference ; and if we find there a pair of 
any insect, with any strongly marked 
varieties, especially such as have been 
named, we have all we want: and if the 
Society’s collection were treated in this 
way, the arranged part would take less 
than a quarter of the room it now occu- 
pies, and the duplicate rarities, which 
might well be sold, would go far to fill 
up the empty spaces. 
The next objection is the expense of 
keeping in order. This has been very 
much exaggerated, because there have 
been no data to go upon : it never has 
been kept in order. What has been 
done, has been by fits and starts, and 
there has been no regular periodical in- 
spection, and I venture to say that if this 
were done, £l> a year, with the small 
