PREFACE vii 



references and passing general remarks to her correspon- 

 dents would have been to invalidate the letters and show 

 the writer of them in a character alien to her own. 



The figures of insects which have been introduced into 

 the correspondence, to lighten it and increase its interest to 

 the reader, have been chiefly borrowed from Miss Ormerod's 

 published works ; and among them will be found a number 

 of illustrations from Curtis's " Farm Insects," for the use of 

 which her acknowledgments were fully given to Messrs. 

 Blackie, the publishers. 1 The contents of this volume will 

 afford ample evidence of Miss Ormerod's intense interest in 

 her subject, of the infinite pains she took to investigate the 

 causes of injury, and of the untiring and unceasing efforts 

 she employed to accomplish her object ; also that her 

 determinations relative to the causes and nature of parasitic 

 attacks upon crops, give proof of soundness of judgment, 

 and her advice, chiefly connected with remedial and pre- 

 ventive treatment, was eminently sensible and practical. 

 Mainly by correspondence of the most friendly kind she 

 formed a unique connecting link between economic 

 entomologists in all parts of the world ; and she quoted 

 their various opinions to one another very often in support 

 of her own preconceived ideas. 



The three biographical chapters, III., XL, and XII., were 

 added to the autobiographical statements which she had left, 

 with the object merely of supplying some missing personal 

 incidents in an interesting life. Other deficiencies in the 

 Autobiography are made up by Miss Ormerod's correspon- 

 dence, and the history of her work is permitted to evolve 

 from her own letters. 



A strong vein of humour runs through many parts of her 

 writings, notably in the chapter on " Church and Parish." 

 The reader will not fail to notice the splendid courtesy 

 and deference to scientific authority, as well as the fullest 

 appreciation of and unselfish sympathy with the genuine 

 scientific work of others, which pervades all she wrote. 

 Prominent among these characteristics of Miss Ormerod 

 should be placed her scrupulous honesty of purpose in 

 acknowledging to the fullest extent the work of others. 



The work of collecting material, sifting, and editing has 

 been going on for nearly two years, and could never have 

 been accomplished but for the kindly help rendered by so 

 many of Miss Ormerod's correspondents, all of whom I 



1 Figs. C. and D. (pp. 160 and 162) are borrowed from Yarrell's 

 British Birds by permission of Messrs. Gurney & Jackson. 



