THE ENTOMOLOGISTS 
AVEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
No. 124.] SATUKDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1859. [Price Id. 
PEEPING. 
The penalty for peeping is a very 
heavy one. Never peep ! Mate that 
resolution at once, and keep to it. 
Many and many a time have we just 
taken a peep at a moth to see whether 
we had got it, or to see what it was, 
and many and many a time has the 
moth flown away directly we opened 
the box to peep, or if we prevented 
that by a speedy closing of the box, 
then the specimen has been almost or 
quite spoiled by getting shut in be- 
tween the box and the lid. 
Never peep! If the moth is in the 
box keep it there; by peeping you are 
sure to give it a chance of escaping. 
It is treating the moth like the wise- 
acres at Tunbridge treated a train that 
had gone up the line without its tail- 
lights; they were aware that the want 
of these lights would be noticed and 
rectified at the next station, — they 
were aware that the only chance of 
accident was in an express engine 
going directly after the dark train, — 
knowing this, they despatched an ex- 
press engine with the missing tail- 
lights, and this engine made such 
good speed that it ran into the pre- 
vious train before it had left the Pens- 
hurst station, and injured many of the 
passengers : it thus accomplished its 
mission. 
But some one objects that he is not 
quite sure whether he succeeded in 
boxing the insect he was pursuing, 
and thinks he may be permitted to 
satisfy himself on that point. No, no! 
it will not do. If you think the moth 
is not in the box, look for it — look for 
it in the net, — look for it in the 
grass, — look for it anywhere but in 
the box; if it is there you have it , — 
if it is not there you gain nothing by 
looking there for it; and, again and 
again we repeat, if you peep the moth 
will probably escape. 
We believe a large number of our 
readers can, from their experience, con- 
firm what we say, and we have no 
doubt that many will have frequently 
exclaimed before now, when, after 
taking “just one peep,” they have 
lost some rarity, “Well, I declare I’ll 
never peep again 1 ” and yet the next 
time the temptation came before them 
“ they have gone and done ” the very 
same thing, and probably have again 
been rewarded as they deserved. 
Never peep! — it is childish, puerile. 
What! have you not patience to wait 
quietly till you get home, but you 
needs must be prying into your pill- 
X 
