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naturalist to keep pace with the efforts of his brothers of 

 the field. I believe that few, whether they be students or 

 professors of Biology, are accustomed to bear in mind the 

 vast extent and rapid extension of the study of insect-Hfe. If 

 they be themselves specialists in other branches, they are too 

 often apt to gauge entomological work by the standard of their 

 own researches, whether among mammals, birds, fishes, 

 reptiles, molluscs, or plants. 



To many who have not attempted to analyse the subject, 

 the comparatively slow progress of our special study may 

 appear to require explanation and apology. When great 

 scientific expeditions have been undertaken, or when energetic 

 private or professional collectors return from new fields of 

 exploration, and the results of their collecting are distributed 

 to different museums or handed to specialists to be worked 

 out, mammals, birds, plants, reptiles, fishes, and probably 

 also shells are dealt with in a reasonable space of time : 

 known species are compared and recorded, new ones are de- 

 scribed and characterised, and all drop into their places in the 

 general system, subject to such revision as may be shown to 

 be needed from time to time as fresh material comes to hand. 

 But it is complained, and the fact must be freely admitted, 

 that too often the majority of the insects thus obtained 

 remain for years in the boxes in which they have arrived, and 

 are not described, classified, or incorporated in any systematic 

 manner until long after those who collected them have ceased 

 to take an interest in their identification. 



Botanists, ornithologists, and others frequently express 

 their surprise that this should be so, and are perhaps induced 

 to regard it as evincing a dilatory spirit on the part of ento- 

 mologists. Many points connected with this subject have, I 

 think, been overlooked not only by the general public, but by 

 many of our diligent workers in Biology. In the first place, 

 what is the comparative position occupied by Entomology 

 with regard to other branches of biological science ? What is 

 the extent of the field of labour which it presents ? How far 

 has that field been explored ? What is our present rate of 

 progress, and the work that remains to be done ? Some 

 attempts have been made from time to time to arrive at the 



