OBITUARY. 



315 



interest in vaiious branches of general science, literature and philo- 

 sophy. His vast reading and great knowledge caused him to be con- 

 stantly apphed to by friends and correspondents whenever they required 

 information, on all manner of subjects, and in the true spirit of science 

 Mr. Kirby was always ready with his advice and help. On the other 

 hand, Mr. Kirby was a most gentle and retiring man, whose fear of 

 injuring others prevented him from putting himself forward, and taking 

 a place which his great talents would have deserved. 



William Forsell Kirby was born on January 14th, 1844, at High 

 Street, Leicester, and was the eldest son of Samuel Kirby, banker. 

 His mother's maiden name was Lydia Forsell. In 1854 his father 

 died, and in 1857 the family removed to Burgess Hill, and afterwards 

 to Brighton. In Brighton Kirby became acquainted with several 

 entomologists and other naturalists, including Henry Cooke, Frederick 

 Merrifleld, and J. N. "Winter, and he became a member of the Brighton 

 and Sussex Natural History Society. He continued to collect insects 

 together with sea-shore objects, and his first published writings appeared 

 in the Kntnmnloiii^fs Weekbj Intellitiencer:'- In 1858 he published his 

 Lht of Brithh Ehnpaloccm.' In 18G0, Kirby left Brighton and came to 

 London, and entered the business of Meesrs. Williams and Norgate, 

 where he remained until 1866, with the exception of an interval in 

 1864, which was spent in studying chemistry under Dr. T. W. Wood. 

 It was at this time that he joined the Entoinological Society of London, 

 and in 1862 he published his first work of importance, A Manual of 

 tuiropeoii Butterflies. This brought him into notice, and he became 

 known to the famous entomologists of the day, J. 0. Westwood, H. T. 

 Stainton, W. C. Hewitson, H. W. Bates, Dr. H. G. Knaggs, and others. 



The year 1866 was chiefly spent in Germany, where Kirby married 

 Miss Johanna Maria Kappel, to whom he was devotedly attached and 

 who, until her death in 1893, took a great interest in and assisted him 

 with his literary work. While on the Continent he collected insects 

 and plants, and studied German, Italian and Persian. Kirby was an 

 early disciple of Darwin, as shown in a paper read before the Entomo- 

 logical Society as early as January, 1863. In 1867 Kirby accepted the 

 post of Assistant Naturalist in the ]\Iuseum of the Royal Dublin Society, 

 afterwards the National Museum of Science and Art, his fellow-assistant 

 being A. G. More, the well-known botanist and ornithologist. It was 

 in 1867 that Kirby's only son was born. During this time articles from 

 his pen on entomological subjects continued to appear, not only in the 

 entomological journals, but in such papers as the Irish Fanners' 

 (jrazette, iSaiinders' Neirs Letter, The Gardener's Record, etc. 



In 1871 his great work, A Synonymic Catalogue of Diurnal Lepi- 

 doptera, appeared, and at once made him famous. In 1877 he pub- 

 lished his Supplement to this Catalogue. The next work of importance 

 he produced was European Butterfiies and Moths, which appeared in 

 monthly parts from 1878 to 1882, and has been several times reissued. 

 The most recent edition, under the name Butter/lies and Moths of 

 Kurojie, was published from 1902 to 1904. 



On the death of W. C. Hewitson, in 1878, W. F. Kirby was asked 

 to prepare the Catalogue of his famous collection of Butterfiies which 

 Hewitson had bequeathed to the British Museum. This necessitated a 



Knt. Week. Int., Vol. I., p. 91 (1856). W.K. announces the discovery of the 

 full-fed larvBe of Orgyia gonostigma. — (H.J.T.) 



