262 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



required that minute, patient, and laborious investigation, in 

 which he seemed so especially to delight. Only two authors, 

 Dalmau and Spinola, had preceded him in devoting their 

 attention to the structure of these atoms of creation ; and 

 even these two had described comparatively a very small 

 number of species. 



In 1834 Mr. Walker, somewhat reluctantly, consented to 

 undertake the editorial management of the ' Entomological 

 Magazine,' and resigned this office the following year, yet 

 continued a constant contributor to its pages. The same 

 year he visited Lapland, in company with two of our most 

 distinguished botanists ; and in this extreme north of Europe, 

 and especially at Alten and Hammerfest, he assiduously 

 collected insects, more particularly the northern Diptera, 

 the Satyridge among Lepidoptera, and the Chalcididae 

 amongst Hymenoptera. During this journey we have the 

 first and only notice of his prowess as a sportsman : he shot 

 willow grouse and ptarmigan ; and on one solitary occasion 

 was accessory to the death of a reindeer ; but as other rifles 

 besides his own were simultaneously discharged, it is difficult 

 to say whose was the effective bullet. I am glad to be able 

 to record that Mr. Walker declined to give the poor creature 

 the coup cle grace, and, for this especial purpose, resigned to 

 another his couteau cle chasse. 



In May, 1840, he married Mary Elizabeth, the eldest 

 daughter of Mr. Ford, of Ellell Hall, near Lancaster, and 

 spent the summer on the Continent, again collecting in 

 Switzerland with his customary assiduity. 



In 1848 he explored the Isle of Thanet, the following year 

 the Isle of Wight, and succeeding years, 1850 and 1851, he 

 visited Geneva and Interlachen ; and during the former year 

 commenced his great work on Diptera. This formed part of 

 a projected series of works on British insects, to be called 

 ' Insecta Britannica,' a project in which the late Mr. Spence 

 took a deep intei'est. 



During the year 1851 was published the first volume of 

 the ' Diptera.' This work is printed in 8vo, and contained 

 314 pages; the second volume appeared in 1853, and con- 

 tained 298 pages ; and the third volume in 1856, and contained 

 352 pages. Thus the entire work comprised nearly 1000 

 pages of closely-printed descriptions. 



Another tour on the continent occupied a considerable 



