THE SUBSTITUTE; 
Or, Entomological Exchange Facilitator, and 
Entomologist’s Fire-side Companion. 
No. 15.] SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 1857. [Price ^ d . 
INSECT DEALEBS. 
To the collectors of British insects 
for sale the entomologists of this 
country are greatly indebted for 
the discovery of many species that 
it is probable would not have been 
known as natives, or at least not 
for a long time to come, for these 
men have heen the explorers of 
parts of the kingdom where, until 
they went, no entomological foot 
ever trod, and in these new locali- 
ties found species that are the or- 
naments of every collection. We 
do not grudge them a proper re- 
turn ; they live by collecting and 
have earned their reward. Tbeir 
I calling is quite an honourable one ; 
.and if we cannot capture insects 
ourselves, as we prefer to do, and 
I cannot get them given to us, then 
I there is no course open to us but 
to buy them. 
But while we admit the pro- 
ipriety of selling British insects, 
yet, so long as we have a special 
taste for natives, w'e must insist 
■that w'hat we buy for British are 
I really indigenous ; not merely that 
the species are so, but the speci- 
mens also. Collectors have been 
sometimes accused of passing off 
foreign specimens as British, 
asserting they had captured them 
in England, and although some- 
times the species were not known 
abroad, they were declared to be 
foreign ; Noctua subrosea, for ex- 
ample, which was afterwards taken 
in abundance in the fens. Such 
examples should make us cautious 
in saying that a species is not 
British, because there seems some 
probability that it is not. There 
are honourable men among col- 
lectors who would not stoop to 
such a dishonourable act, but on 
the other hand we are bound to say 
there are others that it would be 
difficult to believe. But then 
comes the question, why are 
foreign insects palmed off as Bri- 
tish ? Simply and entirely on ac- 
count of the tremendous prices 
that certain persons will give for 
rarities, and such prices operate 
as great temptations to men of 
small means and principle. Is it 
right to hold out such temptations, 
and is it wonderful, considering 
how vast they are to the parties to 
whom they are applied, that de- 
