THE STUDY OF LIFE-HISTORY. 95 



Since, then, it was obvious I could hope to discourse on little 

 of interest to our older members, it struck me that as a com- 

 paratively young entomologist I might be permitted to address 

 myself more particularly to the younger and less experienced 

 students amongst us, and bring to their notice a few of the 

 simpler of Nature's many secrets still awaiting solution at the 

 hands of the zealous and thoughtful observer. By so doing I am 

 not without hope that some may become sufficiently interested 

 in the subject to eventually give more attention to a branch of 

 the study of Zoology which appears somewhat neglected to-day — 

 I refer to the study of life-history, an investigation requiring 

 much careful training and long practice in observation, and 

 which cannot therefore be well started too early in life. 



This general neglect of attention to the living insect by 

 beginners is easily understood. It matters not what order of 

 Entomology we take up, our first endeavour is naturally to amass 

 a collection ; our next to get it named, classified, and arranged in 

 the latest orthodox and most approved style. This is as it 

 should be, provided always that the possession of such collection 

 is not the object in itself ; it should but serve us as a kind of 

 illustrated catalogue to those wonderful little works of nature 

 whose method of existence we should endeavour to fathom and 

 understand. I think it was Bolingbroke, in his ' Letters on 

 History,' who wrote : — " Some (histories) are to be read, some 

 are to be studied, and some may be neglected entirely, not only 

 without detriment but with advantage." The life-histories of 

 insects undoubtedly belong to the earlier category, and should 

 not only be read, but occupy a foremost place in any study of 

 Entomology. True, the student of this branch of his subject 

 has little to show of tangible form for much time and trouble 

 expended. There will be few pocket-box exhibits for our energetic 

 junior Secretary to insert in the monthly circular; no long 

 columns of captures in the cabinet ; and little enough for ex- 

 change : but on the credit side of his account will appear ere 

 long ample and continually increasing compensation, with a 

 wealth of genuine knowledge and pleasure to which the mere 

 collector is for ever a stranger. 



Far be it from me to underrate the work of classification. 

 To H. T. Stainton and G. E. Waterhouse — who may perhaps be 

 said to have been the first to reduce to a semblance of order the 

 chaos existing in our lists of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera at the 

 commencement of the nineteenth century — entomologists owe a 

 deep debt of gratitude ; and since their time so many and able 

 have been the exponents of these groups along the same lines 

 that their study has now been rendered comparatively simple. 

 To such an extent indeed has the labyrinth of synonymy which 

 formerly obtained been pruned, and to so great perfection has 

 the general arrangement of the various groups of insects been 



