XXI 



excellency of his generical characters, are what must endear him to every professor of this 

 study. I speak only of that part relating to the insect kingdom ; the merits of the other 

 parts are best known to those conversant in the respective branches. I must not here pass 

 over a circumstance, which it is proper to apprize my readers of, by way of apologv for 

 giving a few figures (but a few) that have been published already in this kingdom. When 

 I first laid down the plan of this work, I had no intention of confining myself to those sub- 

 jects that were non-descripts ; but proposed to give figures of any exotic insects that might 

 fall into my possession, or what I could procure drawings of, by the assistance of those 

 gentlemen who were fi'iends to an attempt of this sort. I was willing to promote this branch 

 of natural history, by any method that lay within the compass of my little sphere. This 

 I was the rather prompted to, by the consideration of its being an attempt entirely novel 

 in this nation, and conducted in a way different from any yet pursued. But a little recol- 

 lection convinced me I was wroncr. I was soon sensible, that the sfiving figures, alreadv 

 known and published here, could do no service to the study, or benefit the reader ; it is 

 possible I might give a better figure than that before published ; the engraving might be 

 softer, more delicate, and better becoming the subject ; or the colouring more exact and 

 just : but this would not be improving the reader's judgment, or increasing his know- 

 ledge. In short, from that moment I altered my plan ; and it is to this mistake a few figures 

 are inserted in different places, which have before made their appearance in England, 

 either separately, or mixed with other subjects of natural history. From that time I took 

 care to delineate none that I was conscious had engaged the pencil of any preceding- 

 author ; but confined myself to such, whose novelty and striking appearances could not 

 fail to recommend them. To such non-descripts I have paid the greatest deference ; for 

 in some of the plates, among the butterflies and moths, I have given complete figures of 

 both the upper and under sides ; a practice that, as deviating from my general rule, I 

 should not have done, if the richness and softness of the colouring had not been so 

 extremely pleasing, as to render it scarcely possible to dispense with it. It is only to a few 

 I have paid this particular respect. In general, I have given to the butterflies, only figures 

 of one half their under sides, but whole upper ones ; and of those moths that have no repre- 

 sentations of their under sides, the reader may conclude there is no material difference 

 between their upper and under ones, or else the latter is too poor and mean to justify the 

 giving a figure of it. I must just mention, that although I used this forbearance to those 

 figures that had been heretofore published, I by no means meant to debar myself fi-om 

 representing such as had been only verbally described ; as is the case with a great 

 many to be met with in the Systema of Linnaeus, and in other authors. The refraining, 

 therefore, from such subjects, would have been rather condemnable than fit to be 

 approved, for the reasons I mentioned before, of the great difficulty there is in under- 

 standing, sometimes, the best verbal descriptions that ever were given ; therefore figures 

 of this kind may not improperly be considered as explanatory, or as illustrations to 



