Rare butterfly

[Kenelm Philip]

	John Grehan asked what the F&WS does with confiscated material. I
have no idea what was actually done with the insects that have been con-
fiscated to date--but I do know that there are procedures for turning
some contraband over to public institutions, and there are also now
procedures for 'cleansing' contraband material already in public insti-
tutions. So there is no inherent reason why such material, if it possesses
any scientific value, cannot end up at some major museum where it could
be useful.

	As far as making sense of the Lacey Act, I might recommend (he
says modestly) my article on 'How to Collect Insects (Legally) in Alaska',
News of the Lepidopterists's Society, #3/4, May/June & July/August 1994.
Much of what is said there applies to other states, and to anyone bring-
ing material into the U.S. from Canada, and to some degree from any foreign
country.

	It's not really all that complicated for butterflies, although
actually fulfilling the requirements can be very difficult (or even
impossible) for some foreign countries.

						Ken Philip
fnkwp at uaf.edu