41 



sole object. It also formed an extensive collection of insects 

 of all orders which was lodged in the house of one or other 

 of its eight members, under whose care it was for the time 

 being, and who acted as curator, a stipulation in connection 

 with it being that it should be open to the inspection of ento- 

 mologists generally one evening in each week. In 1852 the 

 cabinets containing the collection were removed to the resi- 

 dence of Edward Newman, well known to you all as the 

 originator, and for many years editor, of "The Entomologist," 

 and author of " An Illustrated Natural History of British 

 Moths," etc., who thus became its curator, and it remained 

 in his custody to the time of his death in 1876.* During his 

 curatorship Newman acted up to the spirit of his trust. 

 From time to time a paragraph appeared in the " Ento- 

 mologist," simple in form but well understood by the ento- 

 mologists of the day, of which the following, taken at 

 random from one of the earlier numbers, is a sample: 

 "Etenings at Home. — Fridays, the 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th 

 November, from 6 to 9. — Edward Newman, 7, York Grove, 

 Peckham." These were very pleasant evenings, at any rate 

 so I found the only one that it was my good fortune to 

 attend ; the only qualification necessary to admit the visitor 

 was that he took an interest in entomology in some form or 

 other ; the veriest tyro or the most enlightened were equally 

 welcomed. 



It was at these meetings at Mr. Newman's house in 

 Peckham that the idea of forming an entomological society 

 or club for South London was conceived. Messrs. J. Piatt 

 Barrett, J. G. Marsh, T. N. Hoey, and W. West (of Green- 

 wich), were frequent visitors at them, and after talking the 

 matter over for a year or two these conspirators met at Mr. 

 Barrett's house to consider the matter. Nothing very 

 definite appears to have been settled at this first meeting, 

 but at a subsequent one, also held at Mr. Barrett's house, 

 when some eight gentlemen attended, including the above- 

 mentioned four and Messrs. Bowden, Champion, Cowley, and 

 another, it was resolved to seek a suitable meeting-place, and 

 to enroll members. Thus, in March, 1872, the South London 

 Entomological Society was founded — the direct outcome of 

 the venerable Entomological Club. In 1880 it enlarged the 

 scope of its inquiries to include all branches of Natural 

 History, and in 1884 the name was changed to the South 

 London Entomological and Natural History Society. 



* At the present time the collection is in the care of Dr. B. T. Lowne, at his 

 residence, The Cedars, Crondall, Farnham, Surrey. 



