to the Animadversions of Mr, Davis, 49S 



the commencement ; 27 numbers having then appeared, and 

 60 monthly ones being at that time required to make up the 

 number promised. Mr. Davis continues : — " Four years 

 have now been consumed," &c. ; intimating, by his astute mode 

 of reasoning, that they had elapsed since the alterations, or 

 rather that the alterations implied the completion of the work 

 in five years from the commencement; "and the author has 

 described less than 2500 species [2551 was then the number] : 

 at the same rate of proceeding, sixteen years will be required 

 to describe 10,000." This last clause is undoubtedly incon- 

 trovertible. But do I proceed at the same rate ? No ; I 

 boldly aver. During the first twelvemonth, I described only 

 280 species ; whereas, 694 were described between November 

 and May last, and 175 in the last two numbers. The third 

 volume of Mandibulata (which contains full descriptions, &c., 

 of 735 species) was completed between May 30. and January 

 last ; and the total number of insects already described is 

 2726. 



Having thus shown that there is scarcely a correct sentence 

 in the two leading paragraphs of the article in question, I 

 must proceed to notice other charges therein, which I shall 

 do as briefly as possible. 



With regard to the irregularities, no one has more cause to 

 regret them than myself; and I candidly admit that my zeal 

 has overstepped the bounds of prudence, by inducing me to 

 suppose that I should be enabled to redeem my promises at 

 the periods specified : promises broken, not from the sordid 

 motives imputed by Mr. Davis (which I utterly and con- 

 temptuously deny), nor from any other motives, but purely 

 from physical causes, and from them alone ; as I shall, though 

 accompanied by painful reflections, proceed briefly to detail ; — 

 causes well known to most of my entomological friends, and 

 not altogether unknown to Mr. Davis himself, although unno- 

 ticed by him. In changing my residence rather unexpectedly, 

 at the end of July, 1829, my library and cabinets were neces- 

 sarily packed up; and from the alterations required here, it was 

 not until the end of September following that I could regain 

 access to them, which alone compelled me to postpone the 

 publication of the number then due to the 30th of that month ; 

 during which interval severe domestic illness arose, which 

 continued almost unceasingly, until it suddenly terminated 

 fatally in the beginning of November last. And I was not 

 only afflicted myself with illness during the greater portion 

 of the preceding months of February, March, and April, 

 part of July, and again in September, so as to prevent me 



