THE 
WEEKLY ENTOMOLOGIST. 
“entoha quid quin agent nostri est earrago libeixj.” 
No. 28.] SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 1863. [Price 2d. 
SUCCESS. 
QOME time ago, there appeared, 
^ in a very well known periodical, 
a paper bearing the title which 
stands at the head of this article. 
The writer’s views were possibly 
extreme on the subject of which he 
wrote, and yet, to a great extent, we 
believe in the truth of what he tells 
us. If there is no limit to the end, 
there must be no limit to the means, 
in the general sense; and we are 
inclined to think that the writer 
lost sight of the fact that to create 
a realization we must create the 
steps thereto, whereas the way is 
generally prepared for us, not by 
ourselves, but by the force of sur- 
rounding circumstances. 
In entomological labours, we must 
class our results generically and 
specifically — the former pointing to 
a general and wide conclusion, 
having reference to no isolated case ; 
the latter, to certain discoveries or 
inferences which lead us to one 
decision, and one alone, a decision 
of importance as regards a solitary 
fact or a solitary line of discovery. 
But we must illustrate our meaning. 
There are certain of our Tineoe 
which mine the leaves of plants and 
trees, such as the species of the 
genus Nepticula, and the genus Lith- 
ocolletis. Now, by long practice, we 
may become so expert in recognizing 
these minute and beautiful traces, as 
to decide, without any chance of 
error, on the exact species to which 
a larva thus discovered may be re- 
ferred. But suppose that we stop 
here. Can we (and we are repeat- 
ing the query of one of our most 
distinguished naturalists), decide, 
not specifically, but generically, on 
what thus becomes the object of our 
observation? Suppose we fail to 
see in these wonderful workings any 
general differences to separate 
classes, or bodies of insects, which, 
in their maturer stages, evince a 
perfect line of separation. Then 
we have failed in a branch of 
success — and that a veiy important 
one. 
And we are, many of us, too apt 
to overlook these facts in educating 
the mind to the study of insect life. 
If we were cast into some remote 
region, hitherto unknown to the 
naturalist, we should feel this defect- 
