52 On the Study of Entomology. 
entomology has become with them a perfect passion: not among 
mere loiterers and di/ettanti, but men high in place and seriously 
occupied, the most distinguished and the most intelligent. They 
are a minority, but in this case, as in some others, the opinion of 
the minority is to be preferred: and if the public at large cannot 
understand the existence in sensible men of a taste which it stigma- 
tizes as childish, this is only because it is not aware of the difficulties 
or the utility of the pursuit, and most of all because it is ignorant of 
its pleasures. I shall not repeat any commonplaces about the beauties 
and wonders which are revealed to us by the study of nature, for I con- 
sider that the readers of all such papers as find a place in these tran- 
sactions must be of the number of those who are already touched with 
the sacred fire, or in whom at least the latent spark requires only to be 
kindled. I propose to say a few words as to the method and spirit 
in which this most useful and pleasing kind of knowledge should 
be cultivated; and if anything here suggested has the effect of 
leading observers in the county of Wilts to apply themselves to some. 
of the numerous branches of entomology, this appeal, however poorly 
expressed, will not have been written in vain. 
There are several different aspects in which entomology may be 
viewed, and consequently several distinct categories of entomologists. 
It is with the latter that we are concerned just now, and they may 
be all summed up conveniently under the two headings of collectors 
and observers. 
The first comprises amateurs, whose amusement it is to make 
collections of insects, with no more definite object than inspires 
collectors of postage stamps, or books unread and unreadable, or 
biscuits, or obsolete crockery. They are the happy possessors of 
cases filled with objects beautiful or ugly, but always curious, which 
they regard with never-ending delight. “ Cewa-/a ne méritent aucun 
intérét,’ says a French naturalist; but I am not at all disposed to 
agree with so sweeping a judgment. Whatever may be said of the 
Juror of collection-making in general, the entomological collector at 
least ought not to be spoken of in terms of disparagement. He is 
an indispensable factor in natural science, he brings the bricks of 
which the edifice is to be constructed, and without which the great 
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