OF WASHINGTON. 103 



and is interesting not only from the excellence of much of the 

 work, but from the fact, already alluded to, that these works 

 seemed to be much in demand, often going through many 

 editions. 



Group V. Pupils and Immediate Followers of Linne. 



The period following that of the contemporaries of Linne" and 

 scarcely separable from it may be made to include Linnets pupils 

 and immediate followers, and covers the very prolific 50 years, 

 especially for descriptive and systematic entomology, between 

 1775 and 1825. 



The well-known names of this period are so numerous that it 

 is impossible to refer to them in detail, and the increase of the 

 number of persons who really accomplished notable results in 

 connection with the many societies and journals devoted to en 

 tomology which started about this time is an illustration of the 

 inspiration which Linne produced. It must be remembered also 

 that at this early period work in entomology, so far as it related 

 to the characterization and naming of insects, was a comparatively 

 new field, and that the collector in any new region had practi 

 cally no need to trouble himself about whether or no a species 

 had been earlier described. Much of the enthusiasm, therefore, 

 is undoubtedly due to the fact that the material was ample and 

 easy of access, and the difficulties which have resulted in later 

 years from the separation of species into thousands of small 

 genera and the more close and careful scrutiny of species them 

 selves had not then arisen to make systematic work difficult. 

 Some of the important names of the period follow : 



Pupils and Immediate Followers of Linne. 



(Writings: 1775-1825; born 1740-1790.) 

 Esper (Eugen Johann Christoph). 1742-1810. Professor in Erlangen. 



(Work on butterflies of Europe and foreign countries, illustrated 



with colored copperplates.) 

 Herbst (Johann Friedrich Wilhelm). 1743-1807. Military Chaplain in 



Berlin. (Work, popular and general; also systematic and classifi- 



catory). 

 Thunberg (Carl Peter.) 1743-1828. Followed Linne as Professor ot 



Natural History at Upsala. (Work, chiefly descriptive.) 



