Entomology. 25 



I do not wish to say it is a cereal parasite ; but, when w r e dis- 

 cover so many instances of this hind among the Tipulidse, we 

 have every reason to suspect that the greater number of species 

 of a like nature will look for winter quarters, particularly when 

 we have before us examples of one animal forming a place of re- 

 treat for another. It therefore requires a close search to discover 

 them. No one can make reliable observations without practice ; 

 it is the only way to arrive at a proper mode of studying the 

 habits of insect life. Now that entomologists, both of Upper and 

 Lower Canada, have no difficulty in communicating their obser- 

 vations, I trust that hereafter more attention will be paid to them 

 with a view to their early publication. The knowledge obtained 

 by an entomologist, unless rendered available to others, may be 

 of no gain to science ; at his death all his thoughts perish, and 

 all his knowledge is lost for ever. "Who can calculate the loss 

 sustained by the death of Edward Forbes ? Simply, in his case, 

 by the loss of undeveloped, half-formed ideas. But suppose — and 

 such instances do occur — he had amassed stores of information, 

 which he was treasuring up to form, at some distant day, a valu- 

 able scientific work ; and suppose that every scrap of knowledge 

 he was thus collecting were carefully kept to himself, not to be 

 made known to others till the due period had arrived, is it not 

 evident that the knowledge he thus obtained might be no real 

 gain to science, for it might all be lost again ?" 



An entomologist may have a fund of information, and, without 

 meaning to be selfish, may, from supineness, indifference, love of 

 eate, or the dolce far niente, allow his information to be useless to 

 others. We want no such men in the practice of entomology. 

 What we want are men who think more of what is still left for 

 them to do, than to extract what has already been done by others. 



Of what benefit are entomological essays to the agricultural 

 community? This question can be answered more than one way. 

 However, it is very evident that unless a writer particularly 

 on entomology, be practically acquainted with the science, 

 his production can never command a higher name than a compi- 

 lation ; for a good reason, we find nothing new — we discover 

 that no search has been made for material to establish new facts. 

 An individual, therefore, can at any time select sufficient from for- 

 mer authors to issue an essay of 139 pages, this only exhibits 

 a want of eutomological acuteness; and, as a work of reference} 

 is of no more value than waste paper. 



