THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
cornraouest butterflies, — a fact diflicult 
for an English collector, removed by 
only a few miles of sea, to realise or 
I'econcile with the extravagant value and 
importance attached to a true British 
specimen. 
“ The remark made under the head of 
the Black-veined White, as to that spe- 
cies eluding the net of the novice, by its 
resemblance to a common kind, will 
apply with still greater force to this one ; 
for I suppose there are few even of the 
tolerably experienced ‘ hands ’ who could 
tell this from the two last described 
insects, at a short distance. One curious 
circumstance bearing on this is, that a 
large per-centage of the Bath White 
captures in this country have been 
made by juvenile beginners, who hunt 
and catch everything they see. Common 
Whites and all.” 
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE 
TINEINA. 
Depressabia Hofmanni. 
I am uncertain whether the egg of 
this species is laid in autumn or in 
spring: the young larvae may be found 
in the beginning of May in the tubularly 
rolled leaves of Athamanta Libanotis ; 
when the larvas are older they draw more 
of the leaf together, which thus appears 
much contorted, at the same time a 
considerable amount of web is visible. 
The larvae are full fed towards the end 
of May, and then undergo their change 
to the pupa state, either among the 
leaves of the plant or in a slight cocoon 
on the surface of the earth. Towards 
the middle or end of June the perfect 
3y 
insect makes its appearance, and it may 
be met with during the following month. 
It has not yet been observed to hyber- 
nate. 
H. T. Stainton. 
CURTAILED NOMENCLATURE. 
To the Editor of the ‘Intelligencer.' 
Sir, — I much regret to learn, from the 
letter of your correspondent “ Claudius,” 
that it is a recognised custom among 
entomologists to speak of insects by their 
% 
specific names only. 
To say that such a plan is unscientific 
were trite; but if there is any use in the 
binomial nomenclature of the great Lin- 
nceus, one of its most evident advantages 
is that it avoids the confusion which 
must constantly ensue if the specific 
names only are mentioned. 
How ambiguously must not a man 
express himself if he speaks of his speci- 
mens as “ the grey,” “ the dark,” “ the 
little,” when such terms are endlessly re- 
peated through dififerent genera? This 
may do very well so long as our attention 
is confined to a small group ; as, among 
friends, “Jack,” or “Tom,” or “Bill” 
may answer every purpose, but with the 
public this is no longer intelligible. 
Besides the being able or accustomed 
to refer an insect to its proper genus im- 
plies a certain advance towards a higher 
knowledge. I do not believe any true 
entomologist is content with a knowledge 
of species only. Surely the little trouble 
required to learn the extra generic name 
should not be allowed to weigh against 
the precision gained by its use. Nothing 
