PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 117 
vation. But such distinguished attainments cannot be possessed by those 
who have restricted their attention to the natural history of one district, or 
eyen of one country. There are many orders or families of animals and 
plants that are distinguished by important characteristics—surpassing beauty, 
gigantic size, or physiological peculiarities, which make these families both 
interesting and important in the estimation of men of science. Yet we may 
possess but one insignificant species that represents these great divisions. 
Allow me to illustrate what I mean by anexample ortwo. The Papilionide 
family of Swallowtail butterflies contains some of the most magnificent and 
beautiful objects in the insect kingdom. The number known to belong to 
this family, when Jardine’s Naturalists’ Library was published, was about 
two hundred. Since then the number of the species discovered has been 
greatly increased. But we have only one species indigenous to Britain, and 
that solitary species is now only found in the fens of Cambridgeshire. Again, 
the 2ieride to which the common White butterfly belongs, contains only six 
British species, or nine if we include the Brimstone and Clouded Yellows. 
Few of these are distinguished by form or plumage, These are but insigni- 
ficant representatives of this group, as it is distributed throughout the whole 
world. Mr, Wallace, in the fourth volume of the Entomological Society’s 
Transactions, catalogues two hundred and seventy-nine species which belong: 
to the Indian and Australian regions.* In the same communication, he 
states that the number of species which are found distributed through the 
six great zoological regions of the earth amounts to seyen hundred and sixty 
Our esteemed Secretary in his most beautiful report, asks—‘‘ Is it true 
that scientific pursuits lead to infidelity ?’” We should reply most emphati- 
cally—No. Yet there are many questions in connexion with some of th, 
leading subjects of natural science, that haye awakened strong feelings and 
criminations on the part of well-meaning but scientifically, ignorant people. 
These are ready to class all earnest enquirers after the knowledge of 
Jehoyah’s works with materialists and infidels. Probably for similar reasons 
the early chemists were called magicians; so in ages long since gone by, the 
men of that day scowled on the earnest student of natural science, who had, 
as by a heaven-born intuition, grasped some of the great truths through 
which God reveals himself to his creatures. But he was feared and con- 
demred as one who dealt with occult mysteries. He was a dangerous 
character, more nearly allied to the infernal than the supernal, Yet the 
reflected light of God’s perfections had fallen on his soul. with a glow and a 
glory that had not irradiated the grovelling minds of his fellow men. He 
was before his time. Society had not yet been raised to his mental stand 
point; or rather the light of the coming day of knowledge had not shone 
* “Out of 172 names (I speak only of Pieris as it was.) There-are filty which I would 
place as synonymes,”— W. C. Hewitson, F,L.S.—Vide Ent, Soe. trans., 1568, 
