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THE BANQUET. 

 Held in the Hall of Wadham College, Friday, August qth. 



Early in the week it was found impracticable to hold the 

 banquet in the Hall of Christ Church, as had been intended, 

 but thanks to the efforts of Dr. F. A. Dixey it was arranged, by 

 kind permission of the Warden and Fellows of Wadham, to hold 

 the dinner at that College. 



A very large number of the members of the Congress sat 

 down to an excellent repast served in the fine old Hall. 



Following the usual loyal toast, the President said he now had 

 the honour of proposing the toast of the science that they were 

 celebrating at the Oxford Congress, and that they would continue 

 to celebrate in future Congresses — " Success to Entomology." 

 A friend who was in a high position in the British Colonial Office 

 once told him that, whenever he heard of an appointment to 

 be made in the Colonial service, where a young man was wanted 

 for a position of responsibility in a trying climate, he always 

 inquired whether there was a naturalist available for the post. 

 He knew well that in an enthusiastic naturalist he would also 

 secure a better public servant (applause). The contemplation 

 of such beneficial results arising spontaneously from the gratifica- 

 tion of certain intellectual interests, led us to inquire why it was 

 that we studied natural history, entomology, or any other science. 

 H they analysed the reasons, he thought they would agree with 

 him that the primary, in fact the only real motive, was that of 

 finding out ; they worked because they were interested, and any 

 further object, however laudable in itself, only tended to bias and 

 mar the inquiry. He remembered hearing Sir Michael Foster 

 say that it was by curiosity that our first parents lost the Garden 

 of Eden, but that by transmitting to us that same curiosity, they 

 had given us a golden bridge, by which we were able to re-enter 

 Paradise (laughter). There was a correspondence on this very 

 subject between Darwin and his old Cambridge teacher Henslow, 

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