48 PENALTIES OF ENTOMOLOGY. 



result, he goes on to say, which "exposes philosophy to the 

 ridicule of the witty, and the contempt of the ignorant." 



In one respect the entomologist is no doubt a much more 

 tolerated character now than formerly. He may hoard up the 

 treasures in his cork-lined cabinets with never so much care, and 

 may even make away with a " considerable estate " in getting them 

 together, and yet incur no risk of being exposed to public ridicule 

 as another Nicholas Gimcrack. But this immunity is granted 

 him only so long as he keeps his predilections to himself, without 

 exposing them openly to the eye of the world. The man who 

 would venture abroad, net in hand, in pursuit of his favourites, 

 must still expect to be looked upon by the majority 'of mankind 

 as a sort of lunatic at large, who is allowed to have his own way 

 only because his whim is an innocent one, that does no harm to 

 his neighbours. 



It is given to but few amongst us to bear with equanimity the 

 pity or contempt of our fellow-creatures ; and it is not surprising 

 that many persons have been deterred from the study of ento- 

 mology by a fear of incurring the penalty attached to it. But, in 

 spite of this drawback, the science has long had a devoted band 

 of adherents, and within the last five or sive years their number 

 has considerably increased. It would appear indeed that the 

 study of the insect tribes is at length becoming extremely 

 popular ; for the entomologists are fast growing to be an im- 

 portant body, and now have not only an Annual of their own, but 

 a small weekly newspaper, the " Entomologists' Intelligencer," 

 which is conducted with much spirit, and regularly chronicles all 

 the noteworthy observations and doings of the body. 



This result is in great part, no doubt, attributable to the 

 republication, in a cheap and compact form, of the famous " In- 

 troduction to Entomology," by Kirby and Spence, a book which, 

 for now nearly half a century, has been a standard authority 

 on the. subject. It is almost impossible to read this engaging 

 volume without becoming enamoured of the study of the little 

 creatures whose habits and instincts it details ; and the rapidity 

 with which the new edition has been sown broadcast over the 

 land may reasonably be expected to produce before long an 

 abundant crop of incipient entomologists. But it is not young 

 people merely who are taken captive by the book ; we have 

 lately met with two instances in which it has exerted a similar 



