24: I'HK entomologist's REI'OKl). 



Qbituary. 



Professor John 0. Westwijod. — It is witli deep regret tliat we an- 

 ■iiounce tlie deiitli of Professor Westwood, -wliicli took pluce on the 

 3nd Januarv, liaving eoiiipleted tlie HTtli year of Ids age on 22nd 

 December last. For nearly Go years Professor Westwood has been a 

 most prolific Avriter on entomology ; even so long ago as ISOS when 

 Dr. Hagen pul)lished his Bibliotheca Enfomologica, oTl) contributions 

 to the literature of Entomology are enumerated as having been written 

 by him, and since that time many hundreds more have been added to 

 that list. For many years of his life he was a contemporary author 

 with those fathers of English entomology, Kirby, Spence, Curtis and 

 Stephens ; his earliest paper of which there is a record being a note 

 on " Psilus bascii et Dryinus formicarius," communicated to the Literary 

 ■Gazette, 24th iNIarch, 1827. He was one of the original members of 

 ithe Entomological Society of Loudon, and their first secretary ; a 

 paper read by him Gth January, 1834, on a " Coleopterous Insect 

 allied to Tomicus," was published in the first volume of the Traasac- 

 .tions. There is scarcely an order of insects that has not been dealt 

 with by Professor Westwood, and he wrote some papers on the 

 'Crustacea; in the years 1837-1842 he published an edition of Drury's 

 Jllnstratioiis of Nutnrtil Histor//, a work still of great value ; in 1839-40 

 he produced his well-known latrodndiou to tlic Modern (Jlassifienfion of 

 Insects, a most important aid to their study ; in 18r)2 he produced a 

 new edition of Wood's Index EutomoJogiais, but the works by which.he 

 :is best known to English entomologists are HrHtnh BiUterJiies and their 

 I'ransfonnations, 1841, and British Motha and their Transformations, 

 1843 and 184-") ; the plates of the volumes were by X. H. Humphreys. 

 In his latter years Professor Westwood produced that magnificent work, 

 The Cabinet of Oriental Entotnologi/. It would fill a large octavo volume 

 ito give a full catalogue of his contributions to the literature of entom- 

 ology, and the above must suffice as a faint indication of the value of 

 liis productions. It was not only as a writer on Entomology that he 

 was so excellent, but most of his papers were illustrated by his own 

 ipencil in a most admirable manner. His industry was little short of 

 marvellous ; besides being so great a naturalist, he was a specialist in 

 ■ certain branches of Aichaiology and Palaeography, so much so, that a 

 contemporary writing of his decease says, '* To most people he is known 

 chiefly as a writer on Archivology and Palaeography;" another 

 -contemporary writes " Books like the Pukeotjraphia Sacra Pictoria, 

 and the Facsimiles of the Miniatures and Ornaments of Anglo-Saxon and 

 Irish MSS. are extraordinary monuments of his combination of know- 

 ledge, industry, perception and skill." To those who knew him he 

 was one of the kindest of men, ever ready to impart his vast stores of 

 knowledge ; it may truly be said of the late learned Professor, " He 

 was a man take him for all in all, I shall not look ujion his like again." 

 Professor Westwood received one of the gold medals of the Iloyal 

 Society 4 he had been a Fellow of the Linnean Society since 1827 ; he 

 filled Humboldt's place as a member of the Entomological Society of 

 Paris, and received from the Entomological Society of Loudon the 

 highest honour it was in their power to bestow — that of Honorary 

 Life President. — I. J. Wkik. 



