= 
176 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD. 
death. A Lepidopterist at first, he seems always to have had a liking 
for the smaller forms of life, and after making a good collection of the 
larger British Lepidoptera, he passed on to work the Micros, which in 
turn he came to know equally well, successfully working out the habitats 
of many then rare species. Finally he settled down to collect the 
British Coleoptera and Hemiptera, in both of which orders he amassed a 
very complete collection, including many rare species, and several whieh 
when he found them were new to Britain. He had a wide correspon- 
dence and did a considerable amount of exchange; he was ever free 
and generous in the disposal of his well-set duplicates. In fact a very 
large proportion of the nucleus of the reference collections was com- 
posed of specimens placed in the cabinets by himself. With an exten- 
sive knowledge of British insects and of practical field-work, he made 
one of the most useful members a Society could wish to haye, and but 
few of those who have passed through the membership have not at_ 
some time or other had specimens, information, or other help from our 
old friend. Enjoying general good health he was rarely absent from 
the bimonthly meetings except when taking his annual holiday; he 
was present, and apparently quite well, when we spoke to him on July 
22nd, the last meeting before his sudden death on July 50th. 
W. West was born in Rotherithe, in 1836, and early in life went to 
live in Greenwich, within easy reach of Greenwich Park, “Blackheath, 
- then a wild waste, Lea, Lewisham, and other now house-covered areas, 
but then haunts of many local insects. He was apprenticed in the 
firm of John Penn and Son, marine engineers, and for nearly 50 years 
worked in the brass foundry of that company, latterly as foreman of 
the shop. He retired in 1899, spending the latter years of his life 
largely in his favourite pursuits. It has been his custom to go down 
to the New Forest for several weeks each year, and more recently he 
has also spent a few holidays near Yarmouth with one of his daughters, 
always on the look out for some rare or new speciality. 
He contributed but little to our magazines, most of his information 
was readily given to his fellow members of the S. London Society and 
to his friends in general. When the Woolwich Surveys was in compila- 
tion he was induced by our late Editor to place the whole of his local 
records in the hands of those responsible for the werk, and in fact the 
lists of localities and species made by him formed the basis for the 
sections devoted to Coleoptera and Hemiptera. There is also a long 
article in the Hnt. Record, vol. xviii., giving an account of the Lepi- 
doptera met with in and around Greenwich and Lewisham. 
His collections of the Lepidoptera were sold when he began to work 
Coleoptera in earnest ; first the Macros, and subsequently the Micros. 
Last November he presented his collection of Hemiptera to the British 
Museum (8,468 specimens), and at the same time he gave his Coleoptera 
to his great friend, and the eompanion of most of his later rambles, 
Mr. 8. R. Ashby. The few books he had passed to the 8. London 
Society. On the evening of July 30th, ho had been sitting alone in his 
room, when his daughter going to call him, found that he had passed 
away in his chair without a struggle. He was in his 85th year.— 
Eda 
Errata.—p. 45, line 4 from bottom, ‘‘ habits” should read “habitats.” 
p- 118, line 21, ‘‘ when” should read “ where.” 
