THE SUBSTITUTE; 
Or, Entomological Exchange Facilitator, and 
Entomologist’s Fire-side Companion. 
No. 17.] SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1857. [Price 2(1. 
THE MUEDER OF THE 
INNOCENTS. 
Man is a liuntiiifr animal. In his 
wild state the instinct to kill is 
called into exercise by the neces- 
sity of providing himself with the 
flesh of other animals for food, and 
every individual must, as a mat- 
ter of course, make himself master 
of the art of taking his game. In 
civilized communities the practice 
of killing wild animals is dignilied 
with the name of “ sport,” and 
becomes the fostered privilege of 
a few, by whom it is pursued for 
the excitement it aflbrds without 
reference to the use as food of the 
creatures killed. The slaughter of 
animals for the food of the people 
is reduced to the level of a busi- 
ness, and is confided to a lower 
grade of society. 
Now to kill a tame animal for 
food we do not call cruel, because 
we believe in the necessity for 
doing so, and we wink at sport, 
although not a necessary occupa- 
tion so far as providing us with 
food is concerned. But what can 
be said for killing harmless in- 
sects ? It has generally been ex- 
cused, and even justified, on ac- 
count of the advantages resulting 
to Science from collections of their 
dry bodies, and so far as this ob- 
ject is served there is little to be 
said against it. But we think it 
is time to urge a word in favour 
of the insect race, for now that 
collectors are on the increase there 
is danger that some of the more 
conspicuous and accessible species 
will be exterminated in Britain. 
This is not a sentimental or fanci- 
ful fear. Just think of the conse- 
quence if such raids become gene- 
ral as that mentioned by our cor- 
respondent in ‘The Substitute’ of 
3rd January. Artaxerxes bottled ; 
— execrable ! Think of 500 Me- 
litcca Cinxia and 2000 of Poly- 
ommatus Corydon slaughtered by 
one collector ! What barbarism ! 
We venture to say that a large 
portion of these latter insects will 
never be put to any purpose at all, 
for stuck as they were, from three 
to six on a pin, they would be use- 
less in every respect; and even if 
they had all been separately 
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