THE ENTOiVIOLOGISTS 
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
No. 113.] SATUEDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1858. [Price Ic?. 
INSULARITY. 
We called attention last week to the 
extraordinary propensity of the natives 
of Jeddo, and indeed of the whole 
Japanese Empire, to study only the 
productions of their own islands, ut- 
terly without reference to the pro- 
duce of the neighbouring Asiatic Con- 
tinent. 
Of course we think it highly praise- 
worthy of the Japanese to insist on 
exploring every nook and corner of 
their own country, but we do think 
that at the same time they ought to 
devote a little attention to what has 
been seen elsewhere. In a work pub- 
lished two years ago, and which, 
although well-thumbed and studied in 
this country (we allude to Mr. Wol- 
laston’s treatise ‘ On the Variation of 
Species ’ ), has perhaps not hitherto 
obtained from the Japanese the atten- 
tion which it deserves, much stress was 
laid upon the tendency of the insular 
position of a country to produce modi- 
tications more or less striking on the 
forms of species. Now though of 
course on the Entomology of so re- 
mote a country we must naturally be 
much in the dark, yet it is tolerably 
manifest, if Mr. Wollaston’s proposition 
be well founded, that the Japanese 
species will be, from the insular form 
of that interesting country, slightly 
different from the self-same species 
which occur on the mainland of the 
Asiatic Continent. But here arises 
the difficulty that there exists no 
means of comparing individuals of 
the same species from Japan, with 
those from the neighbouring Continent, 
— for the Japanese, keeping them- 
selves to themselves, have no wish 
to send their own productions abroad 
and have no wish to see what 
the Tartars and Chinese could send 
them. The difficulty would retilly be 
laughable, were it not too absurd ; for 
it so happens that the Chinese are 
extremely anxious to establish relations 
with the naturalists of Jeddo, but the 
latter are far too much disposed to 
keep themselves select, and are un- 
willing to allow of any communication 
with the Continent. 
The 'difficulty above alluded to is 
very similar to that experienced by 
the entomologists of Europe who wish 
to place in their collections specimens 
K 
