﻿46 
  I 
  

  

  James 
  Francis 
  Stephens, 
  F.L.S., 
  F.Z.S., 
  M.E.S. 
  Fr. 
  and 
  Lond., 
  was 
  

   born 
  on 
  the 
  16th 
  of 
  September, 
  1792,* 
  and 
  died 
  on 
  Wednesday, 
  the 
  

   22nd 
  of 
  December 
  last, 
  in 
  the 
  sixty-first 
  year 
  of 
  his 
  age, 
  after 
  a 
  very 
  

   short 
  but 
  severe 
  illness. 
  Tn 
  a 
  paper 
  written 
  by 
  himself, 
  and 
  dated 
  on 
  

   the 
  sixtieth 
  anniversary 
  of 
  his 
  birth, 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  ' 
  Zoologist 
  ' 
  

   since 
  his 
  decease, 
  is 
  the 
  following 
  autobiographical 
  passage 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  my 
  sixteenth 
  year 
  (the 
  figures 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  exactly 
  re- 
  

   versed, 
  being 
  a 
  sexagenarian 
  this 
  day 
  — 
  notwithstanding 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  

   had 
  the 
  temerity 
  to 
  undertake 
  the 
  task 
  of 
  endeavouring 
  to 
  arrange 
  and 
  

   catalogue 
  the 
  truly 
  magnificent 
  collection 
  of 
  Linnean 
  Phalaenae 
  in 
  the 
  

   British 
  Museum, 
  probably 
  7000 
  species), 
  I 
  prepared 
  my 
  first 
  ' 
  Cata- 
  

   logue 
  of 
  British 
  Animals,' 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  only 
  3673 
  indi- 
  

   genous 
  species 
  of 
  insects 
  were 
  known 
  at 
  that 
  period 
  (1808 
  — 
  12), 
  

   including, 
  with 
  the 
  (sub-) 
  species 
  of 
  Haworth 
  &c. 
  then 
  recognized, 
  

   1367 
  Lepidoptera. 
  Time 
  progressed 
  ; 
  and 
  although 
  I 
  was 
  wholly 
  

   occupied 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  in 
  business, 
  and 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  evening 
  in 
  

   preparing 
  the 
  twelve 
  first 
  volumes 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  General 
  Zoology 
  ' 
  for 
  pub- 
  

   lication, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  deeply 
  immersed 
  in 
  studying 
  the 
  mysteries 
  of 
  

   Electricity, 
  &c., 
  I 
  advanced 
  so 
  rapidly 
  with 
  my 
  collections 
  of 
  British 
  

   shells 
  and 
  insects, 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  more 
  than 
  doubled 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  

   latter 
  by 
  1822, 
  and 
  I 
  contrived 
  nevertheless 
  gradually 
  to 
  work 
  up 
  the 
  

   * 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  Insects,' 
  until, 
  on 
  its 
  publication 
  in 
  1829, 
  I 
  actually 
  

   registered 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  10,116 
  species, 
  — 
  two-thirds, 
  at 
  least, 
  captured 
  

   by 
  myself, 
  — 
  although 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  there 
  were 
  not 
  half-a-dozen 
  collec- 
  

   tions 
  named 
  in 
  England, 
  and 
  those 
  only 
  partially 
  so 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  I 
  had 
  no 
  

   transmarine 
  or 
  other 
  assistants 
  to 
  clear 
  up 
  doubtful 
  points, 
  possessed 
  

   but 
  a 
  trifling 
  entomological 
  library, 
  and 
  had 
  to 
  ferret 
  out 
  the 
  names 
  

   as 
  best 
  I 
  could, 
  frequently 
  from 
  works 
  in 
  the 
  Teutonic 
  and 
  other 
  

   European 
  languages, 
  — 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  wondered 
  at, 
  that 
  with 
  all 
  these 
  

   disadvantages 
  and 
  engagements 
  — 
  personal 
  and 
  domestic 
  illnesses, 
  &c., 
  

   — 
  I 
  was 
  occasionally 
  at 
  fault, 
  especially 
  when 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  individu- 
  

   als 
  who 
  devote 
  the 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  their 
  lives 
  to 
  one 
  order, 
  group, 
  

   or 
  family 
  of 
  insects 
  &c., 
  are 
  equally, 
  if 
  not, 
  in 
  proportion 
  to 
  their 
  li- 
  

   mited 
  researches 
  and 
  better 
  opportunities, 
  more 
  so." 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Stephens 
  was 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  a 
  clerk 
  in 
  the 
  Admiralty-office, 
  

   Somerset 
  House, 
  having 
  lately 
  been 
  superannuated. 
  In 
  the 
  year 
  

   1818, 
  on 
  the 
  recommendation 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Leach, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  request 
  of 
  the 
  

   Trustees 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  the 
  Government 
  gave 
  Mr. 
  Stephens 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  iufonuation 
  is 
  giveu 
  IVom 
  Mr. 
  Stephens's 
  own 
  signature 
  in 
  my 
  ' 
  Album 
  

   Amicorum.' 
  

  

  