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and arduous exertions had considerably undermined his constitution, 

 he determined upon retiring altogether from business. This he was 

 able to do with an ample fortune, and to seek, in change of scene and 

 peaceful retirement, the means of restoring his somewhat overtaxed 

 constitution. For this purpose he located himself and family for 

 some months at the pleasant little village of Mickleham. Mr. Walton 

 soon found the benefit of this change, and quickly regained his health 

 and strength. His naturally active mind impelled him irresistibly 

 to active pursuits, and in Entomology he found a new and agreeable 

 excitement. His first entomological studies led him to the formation 

 of a collection of Lepidoptera. Norbury Park being in the imme- 

 diate neighbourhood of his residence, we find him, in the company of 

 Dr. Bowerbank and Mr. Hoyer, collecting moths on the yew berries : 

 this he has recorded in the ' Entomological Magazine.' In 1833, at 

 the same locality, he reaped a plentiful harvest, devoting five hours 

 every night for twenty-eight nights in succession. A list of his cap- 

 tures was published, including many species which at that time were 

 of great rarity. Lepidoptera, however, only engaged his attention in 

 part ; Coleoptera were sought after with equal assiduity, and shortly 

 afterwards entirely engrossed his attention. About 1837 Mr. Walton 

 appears to have commenced his investigations of the family of the 

 Curculionidse, and in 1838 the first results appeared in a paper 

 entitled "Notes on Sitones, Polydrosus, Phyllobius and Apion." Every 

 collection in the metropolis, likely to contain any species of his now 

 favourite family, was most carefully examined. With the Linnean 

 and Banksian collections he soon became perfectly familiar. He 

 entered into correspondence with Schonherr, Dr. Germar, M. Chev- 

 rolat, &c., forwarding to each series of British examples, and receiving 

 from them types of their species, together with a large amount of 

 other valuable information. 



In the February part of the 'Annals and Magazine of Natural His- 

 tory,' 1844, the first paper on Curculionidse published in that journal 

 appeared ; it contained a revision of the nomenclature of the genus 

 Ehynchites. All Mr. Walton's subsequent papers on Curculionidse 

 appeared in the same journal; a paper on the genus Bruchus and 

 the first portion of the genus Apion were published during the 

 same year. In 1845 two papers, concluding the revision of the 

 genus Apion, appeared. In 1846 the genera Cneorhinus, Stropho- 

 somus, Sitones, Polydrosus and Phyllobius were revised, whilst 

 in 1847 the genera Trachyphloeus, Omias and Otiorhynchus under- 

 went revision. In 1848 his task was resumed with increased 



