THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. ' xv 



It may, possibly, be expected by tlie younger Members of 

 the Society, and by those about to commence the Science of 

 Entomology, that I should give them some advice on the 

 proper course of study. Such persons must recollect that 

 every Science is to be studied analytically and synthetically. 

 We begin always by analysing, that is, by resolving into 

 parts, because, until we have an accurate knowledge of parts, 

 it is impossible to synthesize, i.e., to put them together. 

 Thus, before a Student can think of arranging objects of 

 Natural History, he must be conversant with the structure 

 and habits of these objects. He ought, for instance, to be 

 able to make out the name of an Insect by its scientific 

 description, and then to try his hand in describing new species. 

 It is only Avhen he has thus made himself familiar with 

 what may be termed the grammar of the Science, that he can 

 safely proceed to attempt to arrange. Two books are quite 

 sufficient to enable him to attain both these objects. 

 Tiie first is Kirby and Spence's Introduction to Ento- 

 mology, in four Volumes ; the late editions of the two first 

 volumes are useless to the Entomologist, the last two volumes 

 of the complete work being those that give the general 

 history of the Science, and what is still more useful, the 

 Orismology, or definition of those technical terms which will 

 enable the Student to make out the name of an Insect, and to 

 describe his new species. The other book is " Cuvier's 

 Eegne Animal."" The French editions of which, are, of 

 course, the best, but in the event of the Student not being 

 familiar with the French language, there are plenty of 

 English translations procurable. The use of this work is not 

 merely to make him familiar with that arrangement of Insects 

 hitherto made use of by Scientific men, particularly on the 

 Continent of Eui'ope, but also to show him the relations which 

 Insects bear towards the other departments of Zoology. 

 I would, therefore, I repeat, recommend Kirby and 

 Spence for analysis ; and for synthesis, I would recommend 

 Cuvier, or rather Latreille, since it was the latter eminent 



