XX PREFACE. 



poses of life, asking " if it be not enough to open 

 a source of copious and cheap amusement, which 

 tends to harmonize the mind, and elevate it to 

 worthy conceptions of nature and its Author? 

 if a greater blessing to a man can be offered than 

 happiness at an easy rate unalloyed by any de- 

 basing mixture ?" may think the earnestness dis- 

 played on this head, and the length which has 

 been gone in refuting objections, needless. But 

 Entomology is so peculiarly circumstanced, that 

 without removing these obstacles, there could be 

 no hope of winning votaries to the pursuit. Pliny 

 felt the necessity of following this course in the 

 outset of his book which treats on insects, and a 

 similar one has been originally called for in intro- 

 ducing the study even to those countries where 

 the science is now most honoured. In France, 

 Reaumur, in each of the successive volumes of his 

 immortal work, found it essential to seize every 

 opportunity of showing that the study of insects 

 is not a frivolous amusement, nor devoid of uti- 

 lity, as his countrymen conceived it ; and in Ger- 

 many Sulzer had to traverse the same road, telling 

 us, in proof of the necessity of this procedure, 

 that on showing his works on insects with their 

 plates to two very sensible men, one commended 

 him for employing his leisure hours in preparing 

 prints that would amuse children and keep them 



