XXXVIU PEOCEEDITiTGS OF THE 



plates, occupied by what the unanimous consent of entomologists 

 has pronounced to be the most exquisite figures of the kind ever 

 produced. The work, as originally designed, was intended to 

 embrace only a detailed description of the genus and of the species 

 figured, accompanied with obsen^ations on the generic peculiarities 

 of the group. This limited scope was proposed, partly, because it 

 was known that the late J. Francis Stephens had been long 

 engaged in preparing for publication a work on the species of 

 British insects, the first number of which appeared on the 1st of 

 May 1827, Entomologists, however, are but human ; and it un- 

 fortunately happened that jealousies and iU-feeling soon arose be- 

 tween these two authors, which resulted, on the part of Mr, Curtis, 

 in his introducing into his work, wherever possible, descriptions of 

 each species of the different genera, or of lists of species, at any rate, 

 when too numerous for description. The author's attention, from 

 this circumstance, was in some measure withdrawn from the generic 

 to the specific details, and he accordingly, to the end, continued to 

 confijie his detailed generic figures to the structure of the antennae 

 and parts of the mouth, omitting all mention, in many instances, of 

 particulars concerning other parts, which more profound entomo- 

 logists have shown to possess generic or family value. The same 

 spirit also led to the commencement of the publication of a second 

 edition of the ' British Entomology,' in which detailed descriptions 

 of known British species were intended to be given in the text ; 

 but of this second edition two parts only appeared. 



In 1825, Mr. Curtis, in company with his friend Mr. Dale, of 

 Glanville's "Wooton, a most assiduous collector of British insects, 

 made an entomological tour in Perthshire and the western islands 

 of Scotland, returning by way of Edinburgh, In this tour they 

 were successful in collecting many very rare insects, together with 

 thirty different species not previously known as British, as well 

 as numerous drawings of wild flowers, for the illustrations of 

 Mr. Curtis' s great work. 



In 1829 he published the first edition of a ' Gruide to an 

 Arrangement of British Insects,' " printed on one side, for label- 

 ling Cabinets, being a Catalogue of all the named species hither- 

 to discovered in Great Britain and Ireland," a second edition 

 of which useful work appeared in 1837. In the following year, in 

 company with Messrs. Francis and Henry "Walker, he visited 

 France, proceeding along the western coast to Bordeaux, and thence 

 to Frejus. In this journey about 6000 specimens of insects were 

 collected; but the great object of tlie party was to visit the 



