1897-] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 157 



of the colony of New Zealand and to the science of economic entomology 

 at large. He was an active correspondent of the foremost economic en- 

 tomologists of different parts of the world, and it is safe to say that a 

 more interesting and charming letter writer has seldom lived. A short 

 review of his life would be appropriate for any entomological journal, 

 and his unusually eventful career will doubtless excuse a more lengthy 

 notice than would be given perhaps to one of even greater scientific- 

 attainments. 



Robert Allan Wight was 73 years of age at the time of his death. I am 

 not informed as to the place of his birth, but, at the age of eight, he was 

 living in Edinburgh, where his father was a partner in a banking house 

 a rich man, and one who had devoted some time to scientific pursuits. 

 Among his father's intimates were several scientific men of standing. 

 One of them was the late Dean of Westminster, Dr. Bucklancl, and 

 another was M. 1'Abbe de Bourdeville, Confessor to King Charles the 

 Tenth of France, who had taken refuge about that time in Holyrood 

 Palace. Young Wight's mother was dead at the time, and the boy, 

 thrown somewhat upon his own resources and having a strong affection 

 for all kinds of animal life, collected everything in the way of insects and 

 living animals, including fishes and reptiles. The good M. 1'Abbe" helped 

 him and taught him in his natural history studies, and the old man and 

 boy were inseparable. Finally, the Abbe presented him to King Charles, 

 and he took to the King upon the occasion of his presentation some 

 beetles. Mr. Wight states in an interesting letter written some years ago 

 to the late Dr. Riley (to which letter the wiiter is indebted for most of the 

 facts in this notice) that the beetles did not please the King as much as 

 he had anticipated, but he was appointed Court Entomologist, probably 

 the first and only appointment of this kind which ever was made. The 

 ladies of the Court made a great pet of the interesting child. He remem- 

 bered among them Madame la Duchess de Berry, who was a beautiful 

 woman at the time. 



In 1835 his father's bank failed and they went to live in London. Young 

 Wight was sent to be a clerk in a bank in Yorkshire, but he disliked 

 money matters, and as the manager insulted him for drawing a beetle 

 upon one of the pages of his ledger, the youngster knocked him down 

 and gave him a thrashing. A legacy from his aunt had left him indepen- 

 dent and he began to study medicine. He fancied the anatomy, but not 

 the rest of the studies, and through a friend of his, the Earl of Devon, 

 gave him an appointment in the Ecclesiastical Commission, and he began 

 to study to become an Actuary. After passing his examinations he lost 

 his fortune by speculation on the Exchange after having made a consider- 

 able amount of money. Shortly after this he discovered a serious fraud 

 in matters connected with the Ecclesiastical Commission and invented 

 99 year leases for the Bishop of London's property. For this service he 

 was given several years leave of absence and full pay to recover his health 

 -which he had lost from overwork. At that time he wrote a good deal for 



