EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION- 

 BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENERAL 



ROBERT WALTER CAMPBELL SHELFORD, the leading 

 authority on insects of the family Blattidce, and a 

 naturalist of very broad interests, was born at Singa- 

 pore on August 3, 1872 the son of a merchant who 

 was a member of the Legislative Council, and made 

 C.M.G. in recognition of his many public services. 

 There is no evidence that Shelford's strong taste for 

 natural history was inherited, and it did not appear in 

 any other member of his family. Prevented by a 

 tubercular hip- joint from taking part in the games and 

 ordinary outdoor pursuits of a boy and young man, his 

 active mind turned to observation, and he became a 

 naturalist. He was educated privately until he entered 

 King's College, London, and later Emmanuel College, 

 Cambridge. At this University, where he took a second 

 class in both parts of the Natural Science Tripos, he 

 received a solid foundation for the excellent zoological 

 and anthropological work of his mature years. 



After taking his degree Shelf ord became, in 1895, a 

 Demonstrator in Biology, under Professor L. C. Miall, 

 F.R.S., at the Yorkshire College, Leeds. Two years 

 later he went to Borneo as Curator of the Sarawak 

 Museum, established by Rajah Brooke at Kuching. 

 During his seven years' tenure of this position he 



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