LINNEAK SOCIETY OF LONDON. XXXVll 



two contained twenty-five plates, filled with details of the external 

 and internal anatomy of insects, twenty of which were etched by 

 Curtis and five by Henry Denny, the dissections having been for 

 the most part made by Mr. Kirby. 



Mr. Curtis, at this time, frequently made sketches from nature ; 

 and about 1816 he cidtivated, more especially, a taste he had long- 

 entertained for the drawing of churches, fonts, and monuments, 

 the views being coloured on the spot. A visit to Bai-ham, the 

 residence of the Eev. W. Kirby, led to his making the acquaint- 

 ance of Mr. Spence and of Mr. "W. S. Mac Leay, friends who proved 

 of the greatest utility to him. Here also he assisted Mr. Kirby 

 in dissecting and illustrating the forms contained in the famous 

 * Century of Insects,' and in the descriptions of Mr. Robert 

 Brown's ' Australian Insects,' published by Mr. Kirby in the 12th 

 volume of ouTjTransactions (1818). 



In 1819 he accompanied Mr. Kirby to London, where he was 

 introduced to Sir Joseph Banks, who gave him the entree to his 

 library and soirees, at which all the elite of the scientific world of 

 London used to assemble. He also became personally acquainted 

 with Dr. Leach, Superintendent of the Zoological Collection of the 

 Museum, their congenial tastes soon rendering them intimate 

 friends, and leading Curtis to the study of the structure of shells 

 and their inhabitants, in which pursuit Dr. Leach was so greatly 

 interested that an arrangement was made to examine and dredge 

 the whole coast of Scotland in search of Mollusca. This excursion, 

 however, was never carried out, Dr. Leach's mind having broken 

 down under the accumulated labours which he had heaped upon 

 himself. 



The battle of life now began in earnest ; and having thus lost the 

 advice and assistance of one of the first zoologists whom England 

 has ever produced, Mr. Curtis (by the advice of Mr. Mac Leay and 

 other friends) turned his attention to botanical drawing and en- 

 graving, which led him into engagements with Dr. Sims, and in- 

 troduced him to the Horticultural Society (of which his friend 

 Dr. Lindley was Secretary), the Linnean Society, &c. In 1822 he 

 was elected a Fellow of this Society ; and on the 1st of January 

 1824 appeared the first number of ' British Entomology,' " being 

 Illustrations and Descriptions of the genera of Insects found in 

 Great Britain and Ireland, containing coloured figures from na- 

 ture of the most rare and beautiful species, and in many instances 

 of the plants upon which they are found." This great work 

 extended to sixteen annual volumes, containing no less than 770 



