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CHAPTER II. 



FEBRUARY. 



The following anecdote is related of the late Sir Walter 

 Scott when a child : —A Mrs. Cockburn chatted with 

 him one day. "Aunt Jenny/' said he at night, "I 

 like that lady." " What lady/' asked Aunt Jenny. 

 « Why, Mrs. Cockburn ; for I think she is a virtuoso 

 like myself." " Dear Walter," said Aunt Jenny, 

 " what is a virtuoso ?" " Oh, don't you know ? 

 Why, it is one that wishes and will know everything." 

 Now, an Entomologist must, as the child expressed it, 

 be " a virtuoso;" he must " wish and will know every- 

 thing" connected with the objects of his study. He 

 must not be content w T ith a cursory acquaintance with 

 the imago, and a partial and imperfect knowledge of 

 its transformations, but he must determine to " wish 

 and will know everything" respecting them, and that 

 in the most complete and perfect manner that can pos- 

 sibly be attained ; and how is this to be done ? Is it 

 to be accomplished by reading books on Entomology? 

 In a great measure it is; but the tyro must be cautious 

 as to what books he reads, — as to whether the infor- 

 mation contained in them is reliable ; if it is not, they 

 are only " blind guides," the study of which will only 

 tend to mystify and mislead him, thus causing him to 



