84 THE REV. J. G. WOOD. 



manner, and comprised more than seven hundred sepa- 

 rate figures. The result was a bulky volume of six 

 hundred and seventy pages, in which all the different 

 orders were treated in turn, of course in. a strictly 

 "- popular " manner. And an illustrated description of 

 insect anatomy, by way of an introduction, and a few 

 remarks upon setting and preserving insects, as a con- 

 clusion, rendered the book as comprehensive as could be 

 desired. 



During the same year, my father edited a new book 

 for boys, " The Modern Playmate," for Messrs. Frederick 

 Warne & Co., himself writing the articles upon skat- 

 ing and swimming, and superintending and revising the 

 remainder. In 1872 and 1873 no book appeared bear- 

 ing his name ; but he was nevertheless very busy upon 

 " Insects Abroad," a companion volume to " Insects at 

 Home," treating of exotic instead of British insects, the 

 preparation of which occupied very nearly two years. For, 

 of course, the task was a far harder one than had been 

 involved by the compilation of its predecessor. The insects 

 selected were, in many cases, almost utterly unknown ; 

 some had even for the first time to be described ; and 

 information concerning them could only be obtained 

 with great difficulty. But the officials in the insect 

 room at the British Museum offered every assistance in 

 their power; the artists threw themselves heart and 

 soul into their work, examining, as stated in the pre- 

 face, some three thousand drawers of insects, each con- 

 taining an average of fifty specimens, and sparing no 

 pains to obtain the utmost possible accuracy in the 



