Ixxviii 



Entomology (21st January, 1885), Mr. Westwood expressed his 

 gratification at the practical nature of a considerable portion of 

 the proceedings of our Societ}', and remarked upon the difference 

 which then existed between the Entomological Societies of 

 London and of France, the latter being especially marked b}^ a 

 greater degree of attention to the technical and descriptive details 

 of groups. 



In those days two-thirds of the papers published in our 

 Transactions dealt with the natural liistor\' of insects ; ten or a 

 dozen j'ears ago, taking an average of three years, the descriptive 

 papers were barely a half of the whole ; during the last three 

 years the general papers have borne to the descriptive the pro- 

 portion of three to five ; but for the year 1879 the pro])ortion is 

 onl}^ about one to five. 



Were it not that the Address delivered from this Chair a j'ear 

 ago must be as fresh in your recollection as it is in mine, I should 

 venture to repeat what was then said : — " We want, besides the 

 excellent papers descriptive of new exotic species which have too 

 exclusively filled our pages, records of observations on habits, 

 life-histories, and geographical distribution of insects ; on local 

 variation, its causes and results ; narratives of entomological 

 excursions and captures ; observations on structure, functions, 

 and instinct; relations of insects to flowers; and, in short, on all 

 such subjects as are interesting to the greater number, as 

 distinguished from descriptive papers which are interesting only 

 to the lesser number." 



This is unquestionably our present desideratum, and in 

 endeavouring to enforce the same view, the scientific repute of 

 Mr. Bates will protect m.e, too, from the charge of seeming to 

 sacrifice science to popularity. I want you to be more popular, 

 only that j^ou may be more trul}' scientific. 



Science moves, but slowlj', slowly, creepiug ou from point to i)oist. 



Unless each addition to our knowledge is dtffused and 

 popularized, it were as well that science remained stationary. 

 Knowledge is for all ; and science undift'used is like the miser's 

 hoarded gold. The spread of entomological science is the 

 purpose for which Ave exist as a Society ; the Society can only be 

 a distributer, not a producer or discoverer ; and that we may have 

 somewhat to distribute that shall add to the stock of human 



