igiS. William Francis de Vismes Kane. 99 



Co. Waterford and the Saltees, and combining in his natural 

 history studies, marine zoology, ornithology and ento- 

 mology, often landing in the evening after a day's sail to 

 " sugar " in the woods. Once when working at flowering 

 ivy in an old churchyard with lantern, sheet and net, he 

 heard scratching and panting as of some one trying to climb 

 the wall, which was high from the field below, but low on 

 the inside. He flashed his lantern on the perspiring face of 

 a policeman appearing above the coping. " I thought you 

 were the devil," groaned the constable, while a comrade 

 below ejaculated, " It could be nobody else ! " 



In 1886 Kane joined the dredging expedition on the 

 " Flying Falcon " off the south-west of Ireland, organised 

 by a band of naturalists, of whom W. S. Green, afterwards 

 Inspector of Irish Fisheries, was the leader. The interest 

 in marine zoology thus aroused led to a paper on parasitic 

 Copepods, published by the Royal Irish Academy in 1891; 

 and the stud\' of Entomostraca became later a prominent 

 aspect of Kane's activities. His work- on the Irish Lepido- 

 ptera had now been carried so far that in 1893 he began in 

 the Entomologist the "Catalogue," which maybe regarded as 

 his principal work ; it was not concluded until 1901 ; after 

 the completion of its serial publication it was issued as a 

 separate volume. The old Irish list of Birchall was treated 

 by Kane with a critical sympathy, doubtful records being 

 withdrawn or corrected, and a sure foundation laid for 

 future workers. In 1896 Kane gave up his house at Monks- 

 town and spent his time chiefly at Drumreaske, where he 

 became busy at fruit and bee culture and landscape- 

 gardening, importing many flowering shrubs from Japan 

 and elsewhere to beautify his grounds. In 1897 Kane suffered 

 heavy bereavement in the loss of his only son, and again in 

 1 90 1 when his wife died. 



He had been an original member of the Dublin Natural- 

 ists' Field Club in 1886 ; in 1901 he was elected President, 

 a compliment which gave him considerable gratification. 

 Ti 1902 he contracted a second marriage with the widow 

 of Col. Green Wilkinson ; for the next few years he divided 

 his time between residence in Drumreaske and Kent and 

 foreign travel, ranging as far eastward as Egypt and the 



