82 POPULAR IGNORANCE OF ENTOMOLOGY. 



a knowledge of the variety of their kinds. This is 

 what might be expected; for even Ray's celebrated 

 work, "Historia Insectorum," published near a cen- 

 tury after the death of our own great poet, was writ- 

 ten, according to Haworth, in " the dark ages of 

 science." We must not, therefore, demand from 

 Shakspeare a knowledge beyond that of the age in 

 which he lived. Perhaps, if the state of science at 

 that time had been different, it would still have made 

 little, if any, change in him. He would probably 

 have exerted, as he did, his habits of quick and 

 accurate observation, but would not have courted the 

 assistance which science only can afford. In this 

 respect he might have resembled many gifted indi- 

 viduals of the present day, who, with all the facilities 

 which they possess of acquiring knowledge, have 

 never devoted a Httle time to learn how they might 

 discriminate one insect from another ; how they 

 might distinguish those living things, by which, 

 in every place and at all seasons, they are sur- 

 rounded. 



Perhaps no stronger proof can be adduced of the 

 " plentiful lack" of information which prevails on 

 tliis subject, than that which the state of our lan- 

 guage affords. Try but to incUcate by English 

 words the first half-dozen of the most common 

 beetles you meet in a country ramble, and you will 



