APPENDIX. 595 



from you upon the miracula, as I have few authors to consult, and scarcely any 



travellers. I have never met with Barrow or Jackson 



" Yours very affectionately, 



" W. KlKBY. 



"Barham, January 23rd, 1810" 



[In this letter, after mentioning the severe illnesses of two near rela- 

 tives at Ipswich requiring his frequent visits, he proceeds : ] 



" To my great discomfort also, the business of settling the affairs of a man 

 who has involved himself deeply in debt, has also unavoidably fallen upon me. 

 I hope they will be settled in another fortnight. I mention all these circum- 

 stances, that you may see that it [the delay of writing] has not been for want 

 of inclination, but of leisure. The misfortune is, I am fitted by nature for a 

 contemplative rather than an active life ; business, and the settlement of secular 

 affairs, makes my head wild, and I would gladly, if possible, disengage myself 

 from it altogether} but this is at present out of my power, so you must not be 

 surprised if I am unable to do much for the present. This you -may be sure of, 

 when I am at leisure I will endeavour to make up for lost time." .... 



The above extract is chiefly given for the sake of remarking, that 

 though Mr. Kirby's natural dispositions were, as he states, more contem- 

 plative than active, yet no man ever less suffered his inclinations in this 

 respect to encroach on or set aside his social duties. During the long 

 course of our correspondence there is scarcely a letter without a refe- 

 rence to some executorship he had to carry out for a deceased relative 

 or friend, to some secretaryship he had to fill for a charitable or other 

 benevolent institution, or to some active services, like those referred to 

 in the above letter, in arranging the affairs of persons often but distantly 

 connected with him ; but all these duties, however contrary to his natural 

 inclinations, he scrupulously fulfilled, in addition to those of his sacred 

 office, before giving up any portion of his time to his scientific pursuits. 



"Barham, Feb. 17, 1810. 



" My Dear Sir, Many thanks for your kind attention to my request to send 

 the copy of the anatomical terms [to replace his, which he had mislaid]. I 

 have already profited so far by it as to draw out the definitions, and have been 



for some days hard at work, one way or other, upon our work I shall 



begin with attending to your request with respect to what part of the work each 

 should undertake. As I have made a pretty ample sketch for the three first 

 letters, viz. the Introductory, Noxse, and Beneficia, if you approve it, I will 

 fill up the outline I have drawn up for them. Then you may take the three 

 next, viz. Storge, Food, and Habitations; then to my lot again might fall 7, 

 8, 9, viz. Societies, Defence, and Noises ; next to you, 10, 1 1, 12, Phospho- 

 rescence, &c., Kecapitulation, and Defence of Systematic Entomology; and like- 

 wise, if you please, the 13th, on the States of Insects, in return for my having 

 done the 14th, General Exterior Anatomy. 15, 16, 17, and 19, Head and 

 parts, Trunk and do., Abdomen and do., and Orismology, are already in great 

 forwardness. 18, on the Interior Anatomy, you may take. 20, Class, Order, 

 &c., I will take. 21, Making out insects, let Spence take, nobody makes out 

 insects with more accuracy. 22, Seasons, Kirby had thought about, and will 

 take ; and also 23, Haunts and Times of Flight. 24, Catching, Spence ; 25, 

 Killing, Preserving, Cabinets, &c., Spence ; 26, Breeding, Kirby ; 27, History, 

 Spence; 28, Conclusion and Dictionary, W. K. and W. S. conjointly, W. K. 



Q Q 2 



