Kirby Society. 3799 



We are enabled to announce that Professor Forbes will, as soon as time allows, 

 enrich the Society's museum by as complete a series as possible of fossils found in the 

 new beds. 



Proposition for the formation of a Kirby Society. 



Stricklands, Stowmarket, 



November 12, 1852. 

 Sir, 



The notice in your November number (Zool. 3661) of a suggestion made 

 by me to the Entomological Society, in reference to the publication of monographs of 

 British insects, with coloured illustrations of each species, does not convey my mean- 

 ing so clearly as I wished it to be understood. 



My proposition was, to establish a Society, to be called the "Kirby Society," which 

 should follow in the useful steps of the Palaaontographical Society. The subscription 

 should be One Guinea a-year ; and according to the number of subscribers there should 

 be a yearly issue of ' Coloured Illustrations of British Insects and their Transforma- 

 tions.' I would not interfere in the least with any other Society. 



When the Diptera, for instance, were to be illustrated, the cost of description would 

 be saved, as that part has already been done, and well done, by Mr. Walker : and so 

 of any other branch in which really good descriptions are already to be found. Such 

 a work as this would greatly extend a knowledge of British Entomology, as it would 

 be supported by many who were not entomologists. I hope you will consent to re- 

 ceive the names of those who wish to subscribe ; if not, please to insert this, and say 



that I will. 



Yours very truly, 



C. R. Bree. 



To the Editor of the ' Zoologist.' 



P.S. — I take the liberty of adding a few words more to my remarks upon the for- 

 mation of a " Kirby Society." It has been suggested to me that it would be advisable 

 by such a Society to illustrate the * Insecta Britannica' now in course of publication. 

 I think the suggestion a good one; and if Mr. Stainton's volume of Micro-Lepido- 

 ptera were illustrated in the same beautiful style as Mr. Douglas's papers on the Gra- 

 cillarige and Coleophorae in the * Transactions of the Entomological Society ' of the 

 past year by Mr. Wing, I have no hesitation in saying that a great advance would be 

 made in this hitherto neglected branch of Lepidopterology. They say it would be 

 incomplete, because very few of the larvae are known ; but this arises principally from 

 there being comparatively so very little known of the perfect insects. How much time 

 is now wasted in working out the designation of species from the many wretchedly im- 

 perfect works for which we have been called upon to pay so largely ! The credit of 

 the science is affected, and nothing can set it right but a noble effort to have perfect 

 portraits of our British insects and their transformations. A vast number of British 

 entomologists have no time for studying exotic Entomology, or working up species 

 from Panzer or Rceslerstamm ; they wish to have works that they can understand, 

 and illustrations that are faithful portraits of what they profess to represent. 



A double advantage would thus be gained. Not only would much and often valu- 

 able time be saved to the real student, so as to enable him to perfect his collections 



