816 THE entomologist's record. 



stay at Mr. Hewitson's delightful house and grounds at Oatland's Park. 

 Here Mr. Kirby was visited by Mr. Hewitson's old friends Sir William 

 Armstrong, John Hancock, H. Grose-Smith, and S. Stevens, and 

 many a pleasant afternoon was spent by these naturalists in fishing 

 for tench, bream, and eels in the Broad Water. From 1869 to 1884 

 W. F. Kirby contributed the annual reports on Lepidoptera for the 

 Zooloijical Record, and afterwards the greater part of the Insecta. This 

 necessitated his acquiring a knowledge of various European languages 

 such as Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Spanish, Portuguese, and Eussian. 



In 1879, on the death of P'rederick Smith, Kirby was transferred 

 from Dublin to the Zoological Department of the British Museum, a 

 post which he held until his superannuation in January, 1909. At 

 first, on his return to England, Kirby resided in the north of London, 

 and was an intimate friend and neighbour of Edward Clodd, H. W. 

 Bates, and H. G. Knaggs. On the removal of the Zoological Depart- 

 ment to South Kensington, he came to live in Chiswick, and was a 

 neighbour of Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, with whom he made a tour to 

 Norway in 1901. 



At the British Museum Kirby ceased to work officially at Lepi- 

 doptera, and took up the orders Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, etc. In 1882 

 he published his List of [hjiiicnoptcra Tentliredinldae and Siricidae in the 

 Collection of the British Museum, and in 1883, Evolution and Natural 

 Theolo;/!/. In 1885 appeared his Textbook of Kntomolofiy (2nd edition 

 1892) ; in 1885 the Youn;/ Collector Series British Buttcrjlies, Moths, 

 and Beetles ; 1887 to 1897, in conjunction with H. Grose-Smith, 

 Uhopalncera Exotica (2 vols.) ; in 1889, A Natural Uistonj of Maiinuah, 

 Birds, lleptiles, etc. (8 vols.). 



In 1890 A Si/)wnyinic Cataloi/ue of Neuroptera, Odonata, or Drat/on- 

 Jiies was issued, followed, in 1892, by his great Synomjmic Cataloijue of 

 Lepidoptera-Heterocera or JSlotlis : Sphinyes and Bombijces, on which he 

 had been working for a number of years. Want of sufficient support 

 prevented this monumental work from being continued, or it would 

 have run to some five or six other volumes. The shell of the work was 

 complete up to 1892. The Handbook of Lepidoptera, 5 vols., was issued 

 from 1894 to 1897, followed by Marvels of Ant Life in 1898, Eavi'liar 

 Butterflies and Mothfi, 1902, British Lloweriny Plants, 1906, Mannuals of 

 the ]Vorld, 1907, and .Sipio)n/)iiic Catalot/ue of Orthoptera in the Collec- 

 lection of the IJritish Aluseuiu, 3 vols., 1904, 1906, 1910, as well as 

 numerous contributions to Entomological and other journals which 

 appeared from time to time. All this while W. F. Kirby was writing 

 books and papers on various branches of Literature and Poetry, as well 

 as on Mysticism and Philosophy. He was a Fellow of the Linnean 

 and Entomological Societies, to the latter of which he was Honorary 

 Secretary for some years. 



Kirby was fond of travelling and generally spent his holidays abroad. 

 He had thus visited Scotland, France, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, 

 Italy, the United States and Canada, and always started on his travels 

 armed with a butterfly net and collecting box. His last holiday, in 

 August of this yeai', was spent with his son and grandsons in Germany 

 and Austria. 



His genial kindliness, tact, and quiet amiability, together with his 

 never tiring assistance to all who required help or counsel, endeared 

 him to a large circle of friends and acquaintances, whilst the world 



