CHAPTER II. 



FEBRUARY. 



THE following anecdote is related of the late Sir Walter 

 Scott when a child : A Mrs. Cockburn chatted with 

 him one day. " Aunt Jenny/ ' said he at night, " I 

 like that lady." " What lady/ 7 asked Aunt Jenny. 

 " Why, Mrs. Cockburn ; for I think she is a virtuoso 

 like myself." " Dear Walter," said Aunt Jenny, 

 " what is a virtuoso ?" " Oh, don't you know ? 

 Why, it is one that wishes and will know everything." 

 Now, an Entomologist must, as the child expressed it, 

 be " a virtuoso;" he must " wish and will know every- 

 thing" connected with the objects of his study. He 

 must not be content with a cursory acquaintance with 

 the imago, and a partial and imperfect knowledge of 

 its transformations, but he must determine to "wish 

 and will know everything" respecting them, and that 

 in the most complete and perfect manner that can pos- 

 sibly be attained ; and how is this to be done ? Is it 

 to be accomplished by reading books on Entomology? 

 In a great measure it is; but the tyro must be cautious 

 as to what books he reads, as to whether the infor- 

 mation contained in them is reliable ; if it is not, they 

 are only " blind guides," the study of which will only 

 tend to mystify and mislead him, thus causing him to 



