PRErACE. XI 



tlie attractive portal of the economy and natural 

 history of its objects. To this department, there- 

 fore, they resolved to devote the first and most con- 

 siderable portion of their intended work, bringing 

 into one point of view, under distinct heads, the 

 most interesting discoveries of Reaumur, Do Gecr, 

 Bonnet, Lyonet, the llubers, &c., as well as their 

 own individual observations, relative to the nox- 

 ious and beneficial properties of insects ; their af- 

 fection for their young ; their food, and modes of 

 obtaining it; their habitations; societies; Sic.8cc.: 

 and they were the more induced to adopt this plan, 

 from the consideration, that, though many of the 

 most striking of these facts have before been pre- 

 sented to the English reader, a great proportion 

 are unknown to him ; and that no similar gene- 

 ralization (if a slight attempt towards it in Smel- 

 lie's Philosophi/ of Natural Ilistorj/, and a confes- 

 sedly imperfect one in Latreille's Histo'irc Natu- 

 relk dcs Crustaces ct dcs Fusectes be excepted) 

 has ever been attempted in any language. — -Thus 

 the entire work would be strictly on the plan of 

 the Philosophi a Entomologica of Fabricius, only 

 giving a much greater extent to the (Jilconomia and 

 Usus, and adverting to these in the first place in- 

 stead of in the last. 



The epistolary form was adopted, not certainly 

 from any idea of their style being particularly 



