THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



No. IX. 



JULY, MDCCCXLL 



Price 6d. 



Art. XXIV. — Notice of A Familiar Introduction to the History of 

 Insects, being a new and greatly improved edition of the Gram- 

 mar of Entomology. Published May, 1841. By Edward 

 Newman, F.L.S., Z.S., etc. London : John Van Voorst. 



The following- is an extract from the preface : — 



"Teacliers in science are nearly equally divided into two classes; — tliose who know 

 too much, and those who know too little. Those of the first class, overloaded with 

 science, cannot admit the possibility of meeting with readers who have none; and, 

 therefore, their essays and introductions are so worded that it requires a toleral)le pro- 

 ficiency to understand them. The teachers of the second class fall into the opposite 

 error; they curtail, garble, and popularize the writings of others without understand- 

 ing them, forgetful that it requires a consummate knowledge of any science to abridge 

 a work which treats of it ably and at large. The author submits, with much humility, 

 that both classes are in error : he submits also that introductory works should be writ- 

 ten for those who know nothing of the subject on which they read, and hy those who 

 possess, in themselves, some practical knowledge of the subject on which they write. 



" In accordance with these views the author has written the following pages ; he 

 supposes his reader utterly ignorant of Entomology, and endeavours to show him that 

 it is the History of Insects, and the Art of Preserving Insects, and the Physiology of 

 Insects, and the Classification of Insects : he does not address himself to the professed 

 Entomologist; to such this work will be of little value." 



I next copy the Table of Contents. 



BOOK I. History of Insects. 

 Chap. I. History of Insects in general; of the Simulia ; of the Ichneumon; 

 of the earwig; of the locust; of the ant-lion. Chap. II. History of the silkworm; 

 its introduction into Europe ; its introduction into England ; changes of skin ; spin- 

 ning; eggs. Chap. III. History of breeze-flies; breeze-fly of the horse; of the 

 sheep; of the ox. Chap. IV. History of the honey-bee; of the queen bee; of the 

 drones; of the queen's laying eggs; of swarming; of the combs; of the honey. 

 Chap. V. History of the yellow ant; description of an ants' nest; mode of building 

 it ; of the larva ; of the pupae or ants' eggs ; care taken of the larvae and pupae ; final 

 escape of the winged ants ; their aerial journey; slave ants. Chap. VI. History of 

 the sexton beetle. Chap. VII. History of the white ants ; description of their hills ; 

 internal structure of the nest; subterranean passages; winding road and bridges; 

 labourers, soldiers, kings and queens ; oviposition of the queen ; wild bulls stand on 

 the hills. Chap. VIII. Metamorphosis of insects; metamorphosis described, Amor- 

 pha, Necromorpha, Isomorpha, Anisomorpha. 



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