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146
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ESPECIALLY FOR COLLECTORS
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Vol.9: nos.4-5
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EDITORIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
The last issue of the Neivs marked the beginning of a new section devoted to matters of interest to amateur collectors. When the Lepidopterists' Society was founded there appeared a stream of excellent articles of interest to both amateur and professional lepidopterists. Gradually as the News became an accepted scientific journal these popular articles were replaced by more technical contributions. Various members of the Society wrote to the Editor protesting the reduction of material with general appeal. One correspondent noted the value of an article on gonadal transplantation in Lymantria dispar (Lepid. Neivs 7:7-8) but lamented that even for some common butterflies he could not distinguish males from females. Other members called for more articles like the ones on Erora Iceta {Lepid. Neivs 6:34), the search for Speyeria egleis seer eta {Lepid. News 2:81-82), and the use of baits {Lepid. News 6:32-33). As a consequence the Editor appointed a committee to promote a special section of the News designed to appeal to the many enthusiastic collectors whose attention is not centered on the most technical side of lepidopterology. This committee consists of Richard Guppy of British Columbia, George Ehle of Pennsylvania, and James Merritt of Kentucky.
Among the things which the committee has been considering are articles on techniques, field observations, brief biographies of noted old lepidopterists, descriptions of famous collecting localities, definitions of terminology, and simple discussions of theory such as protective coloration, but the committee would appreciate suggestions from the readers as to the kinds of articles they would like to see.
Granting that the right types of articles can be found, a second objective of the committee is to provide a forum for a discussion of interesting topics. It is the belief of the committee that not uncommonly the energetic amateur may make some observation in the field or in his vivarium or in caring for his collection which would be a valuable contribution to knowledge, but the amateur hesitates to write up the contribution because the item is small or because he thinks that his observation is probably already known to the expert. In this section, no contribution is too small. As to the second point, that the contribution may represent information generally known, bear in mind that this section is aimed in part at the less experienced collectors. The professional expert is not excluded; indeed, the committee contemplates that many of the problems will have to be referred to the experts, but it is hoped that articles or questions will provoke a running commentary among the members of the Society, both amateur and professional.
The committee is approaching its task with considerable trepidation and plans to be guided by the response of the readers. The committee recognizes that most of the readers of the News are not absolute tyros but at the same time there appears to be a middle ground along which the coverage of the News might expand if there is sufficient interest. Consequently it is imperative
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1955
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The Lepidopterists* Neivs
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147
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that the members of the Society pass on to us their suggestions. What kinds of articles would you like to see in this section? What problems do you want discussed? If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions, please send them to the undersigned at: School of Law, University of Louisville, Louisville 8, Ky., U. S. A.
James R. Merritt
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MINUTES OF THE SECOND PACIFIC SLOPE MEETINGS OF THE LEPIDOPTERISTS SOCIETY, SEPTEMBER 3-5, 1955
The meetings were held in the lecture room of the San Diego Society of Natural History Museum, San Diego, California. Through the cooperation of Colonel ARTHUR FISCHER and his staff, pleasant and adequate facilities were made available for all activities.
Starting September 3, the time from 9:30 to 11:00 was spent in registration and renewing of acquaintanceships of the members and guests, many of whom had not had this opportunity since the meeting in San Francisco the previous year.
At 11:00 the formal program was launched under the chairmanship of Dr. JOHN A. COMSTOCK. An address of welcome was delivered by Colonel FISCHER, greeting the Society and pointing out the importance of scientific investigation toward knowledge and enjoyment of the natural sciences.
The next order of business was the choosing of the area for the field collecting trip for the following day. It was unanimously decided to cover the desert area east of Julian, in the general region of San Felipe Creek. The decision was based upon the fact that heavy rains had brought out the vegetation on the desert.
The kind invitation of Mr. Fred THORNE to meet for an evening discussion at his home in El Cajon was enthusiastically accepted by the members. In the time remaining before lunch a group picture was taken.
Upon returning from a pleasant lunch, the article "Collecting Notes on Megathymus," by Hugh A. Freeman was read by J. W. Tilden. This paper gave practical information on collecting and rearing these specialized insects. A lively discussion developed, as several of the members present had worked with this genus. The general opinion by the members was that a great deal of work remained to be done on these insects.
The next subject was "Interesting Collecting Spots in Lower California," by CHAS. F. HARBISON. Slides were shown of outstanding collecting areas, and Mr. HARBISON commented on the possibilities. There is a series of sub-tropical and tropical oases stretching nearly a thousand miles down the Peninsula. Each has its peculiar ecological conditions. The area has not been thoroughly covered by collectors, and no doubt new forms and even species remain to be discovered. For instance, there are 21 varieties of Agave represented, and almost surely new forms of Megathymus will be found by careful investigation.
ROBERT L. LANGSTON reported on "Western Tent Caterpillars and Their Parasites." The species and the variation of the moth and the caterpillar were discussed and a display cabinet of hosts and parasites were shown. Mr. LANGSTON indicated that though caterpillar parasites were important, the egg parasites were more effective from a control standpoint.
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