INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. 7 



spirit, and with equal zeal, contribute each his best endeavours 

 to render the collection, as nearly as possible, perfect and 

 complete : every locality has its peculiar insects, and there 

 exists no local cabinet so poor but it could contribute desi- 

 derata to the richest. 



At the commencement of this Magazine, now four years 

 ago, we stated our intention of freely and fairly reviewing 

 every entomological work that came before us. To the best 

 of our ability we did so for a time, but by degrees the practice 

 has been falling into disuse, until we have at last determined 

 utterly to abandon it. Experientia docet. We do not say 

 that we shall not, under the semblance of a review, occasion- 

 ally extract some of the sweets contained in the publications 

 of others, even though such publications be rife with much 

 that our judgment condemns as illiberal or erroneous. The 

 bee gathers honey from the most poisonous flowers. We 

 do not say that we shall never avail ourselves of the title 

 of a work as a shelter, from beneath which, though unseen, we 

 may scatter the information which it ought to have contained. 

 The mocking-bird of America warbles a thousand songs which 

 the denizens of her primeval forests ought to have sung; but 

 the searching and caustic critique will never again be seen in 

 our pages — those who enjoy it will look for it in vain. Hence- 

 forth we shall give the titles of entomological works generally, 

 occasionally, perhaps, with extracts, or a tabular view of their 

 contents, but never again, at least such is our intention, never 

 again shall we point out errors, or criticise opinions or asser- 

 tions. Many things are written which we would were un- 

 written — many things which we now believe to have been far 

 more severe than the occasion warranted, but we have some 

 satisfaction in being able most explicitly to state, that at the 

 moment of writing we fully and firmly believed each article to 

 be just and impartial. If we have erred, we have done so 

 unintentionally ; let us remind those whom we have injured, 

 if such there are, that — 



" To err is human, to forgive divine." 



Coetaneous with the appearance of this work was that of 

 " Annales " of the Entomological Society of France, a work 



