THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S 
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
No. 60.] 
EXAMPLE BETTER THAN 
PRECEPT. 
It is far easier to teach by showing 
a person what to do than by telling 
him what to do. We have repeatedly 
been struck with this by noting the 
influence which a single energetic col- 
lector of Micro-Lepidoptera has upon 
those who come in contact with him : 
every entomologist who visits Scar- 
borough and does a little collecting 
with Mr. T. Wilkinson, of that place, 
is at once seized with a mania for col- 
lecting and rearing those small entities, 
the Tineina. Micro -Lepidopterology, 
which was formerly studied by compa- 
ratively few in the North, seems likely 
now to attain a greater development 
there than in the South. 
A most startling instance of the rapid 
development of a single branch of the 
study has recently been recorded in 
the ‘ Zoologist’ (p. 5827), under the 
heading “Nepticnlae at Bowdon.” In 
this notice, Mr. Edleston records having 
bred this season twenty-nine species, 
amongst which are two new to our 
lists, and others of considerable rarity. 
It is little more than a twelvemonth 
since Mr. Edleston turned his attention 
especially to the subject: in October, 
[Price 1 d. 
1856, he wrote us, “ The Nppticulce 
are widely distributed and only want 
looking for ; I have worked them pretty 
hard during the last two mouths;” 
and already we observe such astonishing 
results. 
The following observations on Nepti- 
culce in the Spanish Chestnut (Fag us 
Caslanea ) merit great attention, as they 
will probably tend to the discovery of 
several new species of the genus: — 
“ Chestnut- trees are tenanted by three, 
if not four, distinct species. Last sea- 
son I could not find a single mine 
tenanted ; this season I have been 
rather more successful. All the three 
species are excessively scarce ; the first 
is a small blotch miner, formed by a 
pale green larva, which spins a brown 
cocoon ; the second is a long spiral 
mine, three inches in length, excre- 
ment black in centre of mine, larva 
yellowish green, and forms a drab co- 
coon ; the third is a visceriform miner, 
and so far never at home. What may 
produce a fourth is a pale green larva, 
with brown head, and when young 
mines along the midrib, discolouring 
the leaf, afterwards forming a small 
blotch mine; I collected several of 
these a few days ago.” This last may 
probably be Nepticula suhbimaeulella , 
as several oak-feeding larvae occur on 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1857. 
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