

James Francis Stephens was born September 16th, 1792, at Shoreham in Sussex. His 

 father was a Captain in the Navy, and died when his son was only five years old, leaving his 

 widow but scantily provided for by a pension of ,£50 a year. Mrs. Stephens was fortunate in 

 obtaining for her son an education at the Blue Coat School, where he continued till 1807; his 

 uncle, Admiral Stephens, then placed him at the Admiralty, where he remained till 1845. 



The early development of his Entomological tastes may be observed from the following- 

 autobiographical sketch : — 



"My earliest Entomological reminiscence extends backwards to August, 1800; on the 

 23rd day of which month I well remember walking out, for the first time, with my juvenile 

 companions towards Brickenden Bury, near Hertford, and, amidst the various freaks and 

 whimseys of the occasion, — such as scrambling over hedges and ditches, and getting wild flowers 

 and fruits (crab apples, sloes, hips and haws, &c), — catching a number of grasshoppers of 

 various kinds ; these last were carefully taken home, and, with some blades of grass, kept in 

 boxes as pretty playthings. 



" From that period until the 12th September, 1804 (my exodus from Hertford), the only 

 Entomological associations that now present themselves to my mind are the occasional finding 

 specimens of Cherry? Currant b or Peach eaters, Imps, 6 and their frequent concomitants, 

 Serpents Lions and Unicorns/ DeviVs Ring Worms g and DeviVs Coach Horses/ Sun Flies, 1 



a Arctia caja. ( Larvae of Smerinthus Tilia, or S. populi. 



b Abraxas grossulariata. s Larva of Arctia caja. 



c Saturnia pavonia. h Ocypus oleus. 



d Harpalida of all kinds. i Chrysidce. 

 e Gordii (G. aquaticus ?) 



A 2 



