PREFACE. XI 



spent in constant scientific study, there was no haste to rush 

 into print, for as he himself says, " What is done prematurely 

 has most commonly to be done twice ; " and it was not until the 

 year 1831 that his first i^aper was published. This appeared in 

 the ' Magazine of Natural History,' then edited by J. C. Loudon, 

 and was entitled — "Polyommatus Argiolus, Melittea Euphrosyne 

 and Selene." His attention at this time and for some few years 

 later — until 1837 — was principally devoted to Entomology; 

 indeed, with the exception of the few short letters of Kusticus, 

 in the 'Magazine of Natural History' (1832 and 1833), on 

 birds, the whole of his published writings up to 1838 are upon 

 entomological subjects. It was in 1832, however, that he was 

 fairly broken to literary harness. In that year the ' Entomological 

 Magazine ' commenced its career of usefulness : it emanated 

 from the Entomological Club, — a small body of gentlemen, who 

 met socially at each other's houses on one evening in every 

 month. This, the oldest entomological society in the country, 

 was instituted in 1826 by Mr. Samouelle, author of the 

 'Entomologist's Compendium;' and he and Messrs. Davis, 

 Hanson, and Newman, were the original members. At this 

 time (1832) the Club consisted of the Kev. C. S. Bird, Messrs. W. 

 Bennett, J. S. Bowerbank, "William Christy, jun., John Curtis, 

 A. H. Davis, E. Doubleday, S. Hanson, J. Hoyer, E. Newman, 

 F. Walker, and J. J. Walton. Of these fathers in Ento- 

 mology all but two have passed away. It was not surprising 

 that such men should feel the need of a journal devoted to 

 their science. The "Introductory Address" is of consider- 

 able interest, and sets forth that the projectors anticipate no 

 profit, but have undertaken the work "with a disinterested 

 desire to promote the progress of a science to which they 

 confess themselves zealously attached." Mr. Newman was 

 chosen Editor, and threw himself heartily into the work. 

 In the first volume, out of sixtj'-three articles fifteen are 

 from his pen, — many written under pseudonyms, — in addition 

 to elaborate editorial notices of new books. Amongst his 

 writings in this volume attention may be called to the 

 beautiful lines "On the Death of Latreille" (p. 320), as weU 

 as to the "Entomological Sapphics" (p. 432), professing 

 to be translations from the Persian, Arabic and Greek, but in 



