46 Dr. Smitu’s Introdudiory Difcourfe. 
repulfing the attacks of their enemies, or in exercifing a more than 
Afiatic defpotifm over myriads below them. "Thus many of the 
moft fyftematic botanifts of the prefent age, as Scopoli, Hudfon, 
Allioni, have been led to the ftudy of entomology. Another clafs 
of authors have undertaken to publifh figures of infeéts, as Sultzer 
and Frifch, fometimes accompanied with their hiftory at large, as 
in the excellent works of Roefel and Sepp. I doubt whether the 
coloured plates of the latter have ever been excelled in any depart- 
ment of natural hiftory. A moft elaborate work, confifting only of 
coloured plates of infeéts, was undertaken under the infpe&ion of 
Linnzus, by Clerck, the author of which dying foon after it was 
publifhed, had time to colour a very few copies only, and thefe are 
much valued by the curious. In my opinion this work is more re- 
markable for labour than fkill, and is far excelled by that of our 
countryman Mr. Drury, which I hope I may, without being accufed 
of partiality, rank among the very firft of its kind. I need fay 
nothing of Albin and Wilkes, whofe plates were admired in their 
time, but are now eclipfed by many. The Entomologia of Schæf- 
fer, the celebrated naturalift of Ratifbon, fo well known by his 
figures of Fungi, and other works, are very ably and carefully 
executed. I have only two more entomological writers to mention 
at prefent, but thofe are very illuítrious ones, Geoffroy and De Geer. 
The work of the former is an hiftory, in French, of the infects 
found about Paris, with a few excellent plates, chiefly as examples 
of the different genera. This with the Entomologia Carniolica of 
Scopoli, and the works of Linnzus, are the claffical books indif- 
penfably neceffary to every fyftematic ftudent of European infects, 
Thofe who with to ftudy their hiftory and metamorphofes more 
fully, will find ample fatisfaction in the ineftimable work of De 
Geer, which is a counterpart of that of Reaumur, and equally ex- : 
tenfive and accurate. Its author, a Swedifh nobleman, deferves to 
2, be 
