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  xiix 
  ) 
  

  

  to 
  increase 
  their 
  numbers 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  benefit 
  of 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  

   Entomology. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  practical 
  illustration 
  of 
  the 
  working 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  system 
  

   as 
  this, 
  I 
  will 
  instance 
  what 
  has 
  been 
  going 
  on 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  

   twelve 
  years 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  Mexican 
  and 
  Central 
  

   American 
  collections 
  now 
  in 
  process 
  of 
  being 
  worked 
  out. 
  A 
  

   few 
  groups 
  have 
  been 
  studied 
  at 
  home, 
  but 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  larger 
  

   portion 
  of 
  our 
  material 
  has 
  been 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  

   various 
  workers 
  both 
  at 
  home 
  and 
  abroad. 
  These 
  collections 
  

   go 
  out 
  and 
  are 
  returned 
  without 
  loss, 
  and 
  the 
  result 
  at 
  

   present 
  is 
  that 
  nearly 
  19,000 
  species 
  of 
  insects 
  have 
  been 
  

   fully 
  determined, 
  and 
  a 
  series 
  reserved 
  and 
  arranged 
  for 
  

   future 
  reference. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  specimens 
  representing 
  these 
  19,000 
  species, 
  but 
  

   the 
  total 
  is 
  very 
  large. 
  If 
  I 
  may 
  hazard 
  a 
  conjecture, 
  I 
  

   should 
  say 
  that 
  I 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  surprised 
  if 
  the 
  number 
  

   reached 
  250,000. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  the 
  Society 
  has 
  lost 
  six 
  Fellows 
  by 
  

   death 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  The 
  Duke 
  of 
  Devonshire, 
  who 
  died 
  on 
  the 
  21st 
  December 
  

   last, 
  at 
  the 
  advanced 
  age 
  of 
  83, 
  joined 
  our 
  Society 
  in 
  1837. 
  

   Though 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  take 
  an 
  active 
  part 
  in 
  promoting 
  the 
  study 
  

   of 
  Entomology, 
  our 
  Society, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  many 
  others, 
  shared 
  

   the 
  support 
  he 
  so 
  freely 
  gave 
  to 
  all 
  scientific 
  bodies. 
  

  

  Edwakd 
  Wesley 
  Janson 
  died 
  on 
  the 
  14th 
  of 
  September 
  

   last, 
  in 
  the 
  seventieth 
  year 
  of 
  his 
  age. 
  He 
  showed 
  a 
  taste 
  for 
  

   natural 
  history 
  pursuits 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  age, 
  and 
  though 
  educated 
  

   at 
  first 
  for 
  the 
  medical 
  profession, 
  he 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  assisted 
  

   his 
  father 
  as 
  a 
  city 
  merchant, 
  and 
  afterwards 
  as 
  Secretary 
  of 
  

   the 
  Dutch 
  Ehenish 
  Eailway. 
  In 
  1867, 
  on 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  his 
  

   father, 
  he 
  relinquished 
  all 
  other 
  pursuits, 
  and 
  commenced 
  

   business 
  as 
  a 
  Bookseller 
  and 
  Natural 
  History 
  Agent, 
  for 
  

   which 
  his 
  tastes 
  well 
  qualified 
  him. 
  His 
  special 
  study 
  was 
  

   Coleoptera, 
  and 
  he 
  was 
  not 
  only 
  a 
  successful 
  collector 
  of 
  

   beetles, 
  but 
  his 
  energy 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  did 
  much 
  to 
  reduce 
  to 
  

   order 
  the 
  British 
  species 
  then 
  much 
  less 
  known 
  than 
  now. 
  

   He 
  also 
  amassed 
  collections 
  of 
  other 
  groups 
  of 
  beetles, 
  the 
  

   chief 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  the 
  family 
  of 
  FAateridcB, 
  his 
  collection, 
  in 
  

  

  