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OBITUARY. 



William Farren died at Cambridge, November 21st, 1887, 

 aged 51 years. That he was not older will be remarked by many 

 of our readers, for his was a name which had been before the 

 entomological public, with an interval of some years, ever since 

 about 1845. "William Farren, like so many other field naturalists 

 who have contributed valuable material for scientific research, 

 appears to have developed a taste for Natural History when very 

 young, for we hear of his having a small collection of moths 

 when only 10 years of age, and by the time he was 14 he had 

 decided to make his living by collecting insects and birds' eggs 

 for sale, his station in life rendering necessary that he should 

 decide his future livelihood. This naturally met with much 

 opposition from his parents, who were unable to keep him ; but 

 a successful interview with a Cambridge undergraduate settled his 

 future, when a sovereign was brought home in exchange for speci- 

 mens. Thus he who might have been a mere labourer in the 

 lower ranks of life, eventually contributed much to our present 

 knowledge of the insect fauna of this country. In 1854 Mr. 

 Farren went to Shoreham, Kent, to collect insects, and there 

 found the rare and elegant Hypercallia citrlnalis {clinstlernana), 

 taking two specimens. In 1858 he went to the New Forest by 

 subscription, finding many local species which were then less 

 commonly taken than in later years. In the same season he 

 worked in the Isle of Wight, and took Luperina dumerilii 

 (Entom. xviii. 73, 74). For some years this kind of life was his, 

 and many odd records of his captures will be found in the cur- 

 rent Natural History literature of the time. In 1862 he married, 

 and again visited Hampshire, but chiefly for Coleoptera on that 

 occasion. The following year he commenced business as a pho- 

 tographer, confining his studies to the Micro-Lepidoptera, and in 

 1809 for a time ceased collecting Natural History objects. In 

 1874 his business premises were destroyed by fire, which un- 

 settled him for some years; until 1879, when he commenced 

 business as a professional rose-growei', and continued until 1888, 

 when he again changed his occupation, and entered upon the 

 business of a print and picture dealer, now carried on by his son. 

 Shortly after, in 1884, finding his son had developed a taste 

 for entomology, he recommenced his study of insects and gave 



