98 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Mar., '17 



As a very small child her entomological fancies asserted 

 themselves ; she would spend hours sitting by an ant-hill watch- 

 ing the little insects running in and out. She would chase 

 butterflies and, much to her mother's horror, bring home cater- 

 pillars and other "bugs." 



When she was thirteen years old she was presented with a 

 copy of Kirby and Spence by her cousin, Dr. John W. Green. 

 He was much interested in her longing to obtain some knowl- 

 edge of the life-histories of insects and took this method of 

 helping her. She pored over the work day and night, learning 

 it almost by heart, although it was very scientific, and she did 

 not know even the common names of most of the insects de- 

 scribed. She has since tried to read this book and wonders 

 how a child could ever have mastered its contents, for a drier 

 and heavier work could hardly be found. 



About the year 1860 another cousin, Robert R. Ellison, made 

 a small collection of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera, and while 

 helping him she started her own collection, gathering promiscu- 

 ously everything in the line of insects. 



With no books, except Kirby and Spence, no knowledge of 

 names or terms, and no one to consult, it was uphill work ; still 

 she persevered until she came across an antiquated book with 

 a few figures of insects, uncolored and poorly drawn. This, 

 however, helped her a little until one happy day she procured 

 a copy of Harris' Insects Injurious to Vegetation, and from 

 this most valuable work she was able to name most of the in- 

 sects she had collected. 



Then Col. Thomas Arden, United States Army, presented 

 her with nine volumes of the Agricultural Reports of New 

 York. Scattered throughout these books were articles by 

 Asa Fitch, then State Entomologist, and from these she ex- 

 tracted an immense amount of interesting and instructive in- 

 formation, which added greatly to her love for the study. 



Soon after this she met Valentine W. Andrews, then agent 

 for the Canadian Entomologist, who told her that at the Astor 

 Library, in New York City, she would find that wonderful 

 work on Lepidoptera, Smith & Abbot's Insects of Georgia. 



