Obituary. xv 
To him are due two excellent catalogues of the English n issued 
in 1871 and 1893, the latter in conjunction with the Rev. Canon Fowler. 
In the Scottish Naturalist he published (1871-79) an бабта peter 
list of Coleoptera north of the border. His most important contribution 
to the Transactions of the Entomological Society of London was an essay, 
issued in 1912 (in conjunction with Mr. F. Muir), * On the Comparative 
Anatomy of the Male Genital Tube in d tu Ta His best book is the 
treatise on “ Insects,” forming the greater part of two volumes of the 
Cambridge Natural History (1895-99). ОҒ this it can safely be said that 
no work of equal value on general entomology has been produced in 
Britain since Westwood's Introduction, which appeared more than half a 
century before. 
Dr. Sharp's extensive collection of Coleoptera from all parts of the world 
was, a few years before his death, acquired by the nation: the whole of his 
library was purchased by the Cawthron Institute, Nelson 
He joined the Entomological Society of London in | 1869, and at the 
time of his death he was the senior surviving Fellow. He was Vice- 
President on four separate occasions, and President in 1887 and 1888. In 
1890 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was honorary or 
corresponding member of most of the chief entomological societies through- 
out the world, and he specially valued his connection with the New 
Denn Institute. Of this he was the oldest surviving honorary member, 
a: been appointed in 1877, the date of the next oldest being as recent 
s 1890. 
Dr. Sharp's influence on New Zealand entomology has been very great. 
From early in the “ seventies " of last century until about the year 1888 
he was in constant correspondence with that indefatigable collector the 
late Mr. R. Helms, of Greymouth, and as a result of the joint labours of 
these two naturalists some of our most conspicuous and remarkable beetles 
were first made known to science. Later on, the writer of this notice 
also had the privilege of corresponding with Dr. Sharp, and it was entirely 
gue to his influence and encouragement that a paper appeared in the 
ions of the New Zealand Institute for 1893 stressing the urgent 
cro for the formation of extensive collections of New Zealand anima 
and plants (including, of course, insects) before the further ne of 
settlement had resulted in the extermination of many interesting speci 
To Dr. Sharp's very early association with the great English а 
Herbert Spencer may probably be ascribed his cautious and extremely 
logical mode of thought. Whilst keeping closely in touch, throughout his 
long life, with modern evolutionary doctrines, he never owed himself to 
be unduly led away by enthusiasm. He always kept his great store 
of facts steadily in view when attempting to test the truth of theories 
supposed to explain the multifarious phenomena of insect-life. 
G. V. HUDSON. 
