^^ ( rxxii ) 



advantage? I'mf. Iliixli'v, in liis AiKthntii/ of I iirerlehrate 

 Animals, says of the male genital armature in the cockroach, 

 that " It consists of a number of chitinous ])r()ces.ses having 

 the form of plates and hooks, the exact form and disposition 

 of which could be made intelligible only by numerous figures." 

 There is nuicli point in that statement, which applies as much, 

 I think, to many of the Lepidoptera as to Blalta, and I lio[ie 

 my friends will bear it in mind. 



Gentlemen, there is another subject on which 1 should like 

 to offer a few remarks this evening while it is still fresh in 

 your minds, and that is the ini[)ortance of Kntomology in 

 relation to the State. It is a subject in which thi.s Society, 

 if it is to continue true to the aims of its l^'oundcrs, is bound 

 to take a very deep interest; and, as I need scarcely remind 

 you, it is one on which there are other views than your own. 

 There is, for example, the view which evidently liad iiiflucnced 

 the Government in their recent j)ro|)osal to remove the 

 collections from the Natural History Museum and to stow 

 them elsewhere — the proposal against which the Society has 

 strongly protested, and which, if carried out, would almost 

 inevitably have had the effect of interfering greatly with the 

 scientific work of the entomologists of this country, and of 

 bringing to a standstill the valuable and im[)ortant work that 

 was being done in the interests of the nation by the staffs 

 of the Mu.seum and of the Imperial Bureau of ^]ntomolog3^ 

 Although it is satisfactory to the Society to know that that 

 prepo.sterouo proposal has been dropped, the mere fact that 

 it had been entertained l)y the Government will give you 

 .some idea of what value antl importance they attach to 

 Entomology. That science has probably formed little or no 

 ])art of their education, and they cannot be expected to see 

 as clearly as you and I how important is the work done by 

 Entomology, and what great benefit it would be to the State 

 if it were pro])erly encouraged, assisted, and organised in its 

 service. There are many and various ways in which Ento- 

 mology has already proved itself to be of great use to the 

 State, and the possibilities for the future are also great. 

 This whole subject deserves your serious consideration, and 

 I very much regret that I have not come prepared to deal 



