216 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
ON THE LONGEVITY OF BRITISH ENTOMOLOGISTS. 
p 
By W. F. Kirsy, F.L.S., &c. 
Some years ago I began to make memoranda on the longevity 
of British entomologists, and on recently mentioning it to my 
friend Mr. Distant, he was so much interested that he asked me to 
put together a few notes for publication. I have therefore compiled 
a statement of the ages at death of upwards of three hundred 
British entomologists, chiefly from Hagen’s ‘ Bibliotheca Ento- 
mologica’ and the current entomological magazines, adding the 
date of death as a clue to any person who might wish to refer to 
the obituary of any particular entomologist. 
I have included only British-born entomologists, omitting a 
few of whose actual birthplace there was some uncertainty. On 
the other hand, some names will be found (e.g. Walsh and Riley) 
whose work was chiefly carried on in America or the Colonies, 
and who died there. Again, a few names will be found better 
known in other branches of science than in entomology—such as 
John Russell Hind, the astronomer, who was probably the first 
English entomologist to form a collection of Kuropean Lepi- 
doptera, as opposed to British Lepidoptera on the one hand and 
Exotic Lepidoptera on the other. 
The names represent all ages at death, and all classes of 
society ; but it will be seen that by far the larger proportion 
lived beyond middle life, and many reached an advanced old age. 
Consequently, the results are such that one might confidently 
recommend anyone who wished for a long life to turn entomolo- 
gist; and the list should also be an inducement to insurance 
companies to grant reduced premiums to entomologists, as some 
of them do to teetotalers. It will be noticed, too, that entomolo- 
gists of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries also seem to 
have lived fairly iong lives. The moral of the investigation seems 
to be a confirmation of the effects of an interesting occupation 
in conducing to long life. 
