﻿140 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Capper {tide Camthorne), memWs of the Society of Friends, and was 

 born at Highbury Place, London, N., April 28th, 1825. The family 

 pedigree dates as far back as 1590 to a William Capper, copyholder, 

 who lived near Rugeley, Staffordshire, and who died February 2nd of 

 that year. The earliest mention of the family becoming members of 

 the Society of Fi'iends is found in a record of the marriage of Jasper 

 Capper to x\nne, daughter of John Fry, on April 21st, 1778. 



From early childhood Mr. Capper evinced keen interest in Natural 

 History objects, and when about twelve years old he was sent to a 

 school at Bpping, where his taste for Nature Study was greatly 

 encouraged and developed. On half-holidays the boys were taken 

 to the Forest, and permitted to roam therein at their leisure until 

 a bugle-call warned them to reassemble. Opportunity was thus 

 afforded, to those so inclined, to collect specimens, or in other ways 

 attain knowledge of the fauna and flora of the district. 



Mr. Capper's interest was chiefly centred in the Lepidoptera, and 

 he, with the help of one or two of his schoolmates, made a very fair 

 collection of the moths and butterflies occurring in Epping Forest. 

 He also received valuable help from the brothers Doubleday, who 

 were always happy in rendering assistance to young entomologists, 

 instructing them in the art of setting and preserving insects, and 

 solving difficulties connected with the identification of captures. 



In the year 1846 Mr. Capper settled in Liverpool, and soon made 

 the acquaintance of Messrs. Nicholas and Benjamin Cooke, C. S. 

 Gregson, N. Greening, and other leading entomologists of that 

 district and period. About 1866 he became known to the late Mr. 

 Alfred Owen, with whom he afterwards made collecting expeditions 

 to various districts, including the New Forest and Penmaenmawr. 

 In the latter he secured, among other species then considered rare, 

 Acidalia contiguaria-'- during July, 1874, but met with the unfortu- 

 nate accident which resulted in his being permanently lame, and 

 therefore unable to again engage in the pleasure of active field work. 

 His connection with the Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological 

 Society has been a long one. The preliminary meeting was held 

 at the residence of the late Mr. N. Cooke, at which Mr. Capper, 

 who did not attend, was elected President, and this office he 

 held for thirty-five years. The first official meeting seems to have 

 been held at Huyton Park on March 26th, 1877. 



Apart from the many excellent addresses to the members of the 

 Society, over the meetings of which he so long and so ably presided, 

 his published writings on entomological subjects are rather few in 

 number. An article entitled " Educational Collections " (Entom. 

 X. 40-42) bears evidence that, although chiefly interested in the 

 Lepidoptera, all orders of the Insecta received a share of his 

 attention. 



For many years Mr. Capper was a partner in the firm of Thompson 

 and Capper, manufacturing chemists, Liverpool, and, although he 

 continued association with it, he had not taken an active part in the 

 business during the past fifteen years or so. 



'^' A Geometrid moth known under three English names — "Weaver's 

 Wave," " Greening's Pug," and " Capper's Acidalia." 



