Our Authorities : an Introduction to the Early Literature 

 of Entomology. 



By Henry J. Turner, F.E.S. Read February \^th, 1907. 



The Literature of Entomology is enormous. In 1862-63 Hagen 

 published two volumes, comprising 1090 closely printed 8vo pages, 

 containing a list of all books, pamphlets, and articles issued up to 

 that date on the subjects of our favourite study. Since this huge 

 catalogue was compiled, so great has been the output of the increas- 

 ing number of students of this branch of zoology that probably 

 sufficient material has accumulated to fill another two volumes of 

 equal size. Thus, to give a short introduction to " our authorities," 

 the men of old, in a few minutes and in a few words is, to say the 

 least, presumptuous. Still a note on one or two items, at a few 

 periods, may be of use, and induce some one with more time and 

 opportunity to wade deeper in what we may term this " flood " of 

 writings. 



To dip at once into the middle of our subject, we will look down 

 the first two pages of the " Entomologist Synonymic List," by 

 R. South, and note the "hieroglyphics" appended to each genus 

 and species. A previous page translates these into the names of the 

 writers who first described and used the name to which the abbre- 

 viation is attached. Omitting varieties, the list of authors for the 

 butterflies contains some twenty names, of which by far the most 

 commonly used is that of Linne, abbreviated to the letter L. In 

 fact, it occurs almost as many times as all the rest of the names put 

 together. A search in the work of these authorities for the original 

 description of each species would soon convince us that not one 

 specific or generic name was of an earlier date than 1758 or 9, and 

 that nearly all the earlier names were those with L attached, that is 

 that Linne was the sponsor. 



Let us glance first at the life and work of this great man at some 

 length, then look at the work of those who preceded him, and after 

 that make a few enquiries as to the literature which arose subse- 

 quently. 



This illustrious naturalist, perhaps the greatest of reformers in the 

 science of the study of nature, was born in 1707 and died in 1778, 

 and was a native of Sweden. His father, a poor parish curate, could 

 give his son but little advancement, and at the age of 16 he was 

 apprenticed to a shoemaker. His studious habits and his love for 

 natural history attracted attention, and after a time he was enabled 

 to go to the University of Lund ; but he was often in want, and at 

 times driven even to his old employment of shoemaking. We have 



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