"EVOLUTION" IN LECTURING. 255 



English platform, which occurred at an unfortunate 

 time, and was an undoubted error of judgment. 



During the first three months of this season scarcely 

 any lectures at all were given, and nothing in the way 

 of an extended tour was possible. Early in the new 

 year, however, a visit was paid to Ireland, and there a 

 short series of lectures was delivered in several of the 

 principal towns, concluding with the old favourite, 

 " Unappreciated Insects," at Armagh. 



This, by the way, was by no means identical with 

 the same lecture as originally given. My father seldom 

 gave any lecture twice upon precisely the same lines, 

 but would add here, and prune there, as the whim of 

 the moment prompted him, or as he saw that the atten- 

 tion of the audience was specially taken by any parti- 

 cular point. And also, whenever he was at home for 

 any time, he made a rule of carefully revising, or even 

 re-writing, his notes, adding fresh drawings, or im- 

 proving those which he had, and so importing a constant 

 element of novelty into each lecture, and preventing it 

 from becoming monotonous and wearisome to himself. 



And these changes had been, perhaps, more nume- 

 rous in the " Unappreciated Insects " than in any other 

 lecture. He began with quite a long list of insects, 

 and reduced them at last, I think, to three^-the Cock- 

 roach, the Earwig, and the Gnat finding so much to 

 say about each that very often the stipulated hour and 

 a quarter was increased by half as much again, and the 

 subject even then only partially treated. On more than 

 one occasion, in fact, he confined his remarks to the 



