68 INTRODUCTION. 



the more remarkable periods in its history. This order, 

 founded upon the growth of knowledge, is certainly prefer- 

 able to that established upon the lapse of years from century 

 to century. 



Without dwelling upon the Book of Holy Writ, from 

 whence it is evident that the Hebrews had a certain know- 

 ledge of the habits of various insects, and had distinguished 

 a certain number of them, the first memorable era is that of 

 Aristotle, since it is in the writings of that father of zoology 

 that the first traces of Entomology, as a distinct science, are 

 to be found. This era dates from three centuries and a half 

 before the Christian era; and, as Latreille observes, it is not 

 less memorable in the history of the world, as being that 

 in which one of his pupils, Alexander the Great, flourished ; 

 and, by a remarkable coincidence, the modern Aristotle (as 

 Cuvier has been called) flourished during the reign of a man 

 scarcely less celebrated than Alexander. Aristotle noticed 

 the difference between masticating and sucking insects, and 

 many of the divisions which he established amongst insects 

 are adopted by the latest entomologists ; but the distinctive 

 character of the science of Entomology of this period was 

 the admission of a greater number of insects as distinct 

 species, which were the preparatory states of others, which 

 were also observed. In like manner, many species which 

 had not been traced to the egg-state, were regarded as 

 the offspring of a spontaneous generation. With insects 

 were arranged the Annelida and many other animals of a 

 widely different structure. Entomology was, however, at 

 this period, but a summary of popular traditions, often fabu- 

 lous or in part erroneous, and more under the domain of 

 medicine than of zoology, mixed up, nevertheless, with some 

 facts which were too apparent to escape the simplest investi- 

 gation. As to the other ancient naturalists, they li:i\e 

 scarcely added any thing to the knowledge transmitted to 



