VI. 



For the greater portion of his life he enjoyed good health, 

 but severe rheumatism and other constitutional weaknesses 

 marred some of his later years and interfered considerably 

 with both his parish and entomological work. The Sunday 

 preceding his death he was preparing to conduct morning 

 service at his church when he was stricken down with 

 paralysis, from which he never recovered, passing quietly 

 away a week afterwards. 



He was essentially a busy man, and devoted the best 

 of his time and efforts to his parish duties. As a conse- 

 quence he was seldom able to start entomological work till 

 about 9 p.m., and such work on hot summer nights must have 

 been very trying. 



In Honolulu he published two works; the first, entitled 

 "Visions of the King," a book of sermons, and the second, 

 entitled 'True and False Issues between Christianity and 

 Science/' the substance of a course of lectures that he 

 delivered in Honolulu. 



He also wrote two musical cantatas, the first entitled 

 "The Story of the Crucifixion," and the second, "The Story 

 of Calvary." In his spare time, and when travelling, he 

 also composed some poetical pieces, mostly of a religious 

 nature. 



I applied to Dr. D. Sharp for some particulars of his 

 early life in England, and, in reply, he wrote: — "He began 

 very young. Fifty years ago he came into notice. The first 

 note published appears to be one in conjunction with his 

 brother, J. B. Blackburn — a list offering various Lepidoptera 

 in exchange for Noctuina, to which they had then resolved 

 to limit their collection. This note appeared in The Ento- 

 mologists' Weekly Intelligencer,' November 24, 1860. In 

 1861 'The Weekly Intelligencer' was abandoned by its 

 hitherto editor, H. J. Stainton, and after an interval of nine 

 months the two Blackburns published and edited 'The Weekly 

 Entomologist,' the first number of which appeared in August, 

 1862. It was continued for two years, and then gave place 

 to the present 'Entomologists' Monthly Magazine, 7 of which 

 Mr. Blackburn was one of the original editors. In 1862 he 

 appears to have been Secretary of the Bowdon and Altrin- 

 cham Entomological Society. His first note on Coleoptera 

 appeared in 'The Weekly Entomologist' of January, 1863, 

 and was a list of captures of Coleoptera during 1862. At this 

 period his entomological work was chiefly of a minor char- 

 acter, but he published a great many notes." 



When only a boy he received encouragement from Mr. 

 C. O. Waterhouse, of the British Museum, and it was pos- 



