of insects was promulged, at least the first of which we have any 

 knowledge, yet no attempt has hitherto been successfully made to 

 improve it ; from this perfection I think we may fairly conclude, 

 that the philosopher of Stagira was not merely a man of extra- 

 ordinary talent, but that he had made himself the repository of 

 what had previously been saved of the learning of his forefathers, 

 in a day when it will be recollected the printing press had no 

 existence ; and we have nothing to prove that entomology had 

 not degenerated through the two thousand years previous to 

 Aristotle, as it unquestionably did during the two thousand years 

 subsequent to the time of that philosopher, when our own 

 immortal countryman, Ray, revived the science, and laid the 

 foundation of a regenerated lustre, which, perhaps, may eventually 

 rival that diffused by the great Stagirite himself. Be this as it 

 may, the systematist has no choice but to go back two thousand 

 years for the primary outline, or classification of insects ; and, 

 I may add, nothing but a desire to make myself clearly under- 

 stood, prevents my adopting the nomenclature, as well as the 

 division of Aristotle. I shall, however, employ the more modern 

 and less appropriate names for the present, hoping that at a future 

 day an opportunity may occur of doing justice to the merits of 

 that writer, whom we are all compelled to follow, or to forsake 

 the path of truth.* 



The reader who does not understand exactly what animals 

 constitute the sub-kingdom Insecta, may refer to the Intro- 

 duction to Entomology, where he will find the subject fully and 

 accurately investigated.'}" It would be a needless incumbrance 

 of my subject to repeat these definitions here, but as I am unable 

 to meet with any characters for classes, by which relations and 

 differences can readily and conveniently be traced, I have been 

 induced to add a few definitions to those already in use, which I 

 am the more willing to do because they will be useful here with- 

 out ever perplexing science by forsaking the pages of this essay. 



* The learned authors of the Introduction to Entomology have inserted a 

 sketch of the Aristotelian system in that work, a reference to which will 

 convince the reader that it is next to impossible for the entomologist to over- 

 rate him. See Introduction to Entomology, Vol. IV. p. 433. 



f Introduction to Entomology, Vol. III. pp. 1 — 51. 



