Killing moths

[Kenelm W Philip]

> I don't think there are any collectors of dead birds any
> longer...

The Lacey Act makes it illegal for people without Federal
permits to even pick up a bird feather off the ground. Museum
scientists still do collect birds, but they need permits and have
to jump through all kinds of hoops.

The Lacey Act does not prohibit the collection of insects,
however. This is still a legal activity--one that some people
disapprove of, and that other people enjoy. For myself,
I both collect and photograph butterflies and moths. I have
scientific reasons for doing so, but I also find these
activities enjoyable, and spent many years long ago
doing them as a purely recreational avocation before
I was introduced by a mentor to the scientific aspects
involved.

As far as "the waste of beautiful life" goes, a very rough
estimate of the number of butterflies killed each year
in the U.S by cars and trucks is of the order of 10 billion.
The number _collected_ each year is an insignificant
fraction of that...

		Ken Philip



 
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