by the
unpleasant reminder, "what shall we do with it" under the system
proposed?

It is, according to that theory, "local," "British," and "foreign;" it
is rarest as "local," being, of course, of accidental occurrence; yet
it is proposed to show it only in that division, to the extent of
ignoring the two other divisions which have manifestly a greater claim
on it. If this, then, were adhered to, the student would at once have
presented to him an incorrect view of the distribution of species.

One other way only is there out of the difficulty, which is to show a
specimen of the same insect in all three divisions; but this would,
though more correct, be as embarrassing to understand, to say nothing
of the loss of space involved, because the same thing would have to be
repeated with nearly every invertebrate possessed by a museum arranged
on these lines.

The proper way, I contend, to give real information is to shake off
all insular prejudice and not call things by their wrong names, i.e.
claim as "British," things which are not essentially so. To this end I
have labelled the butterfly in question:

VANESSA. ANTIOPA, 1.

(Camberwell Beauty.)

Range: Asia, Africa, America,

Europe generally, including Britain (rarely),

and has occurred in Leicestershire three times.

This, I am quite sure, is the proper method to educate the public, who
cannot understand, or are misled by, such crudities as placing
specimens in arbitrary divisions such as "Local," "British," and
"Foreign."

The same rule applies to the plants; and I remember a case occurring,
but a short time since when a young botanist, wishing to name a few
plants collected abroad (in Europe), came to our herbarium, modelled
on these misleading lines, and at once turned to the "Foreign"
division to find specimens by which to compare his own. An hour was
wasted in trying to puzzle some of them out, and he then came to me
saying, "You hav'n't got them."

At once I saw he had things of world-wide distribution, and turning,
much to his amazement, to the "Local" division, found them for him.
All this comparison, and waste of time and temper, might have been
saved had the plants been arranged in their proper orders and
families, irrespective of imaginary divisions, with a label attached
stating their range and if occurring locally.

Leaving biology now, we shall see how this "elastic system" can "be
carried through the collections from end to end." Take the