APPENDIX. : " §88 
cess of such a work—I mean a popular ‘Introduction to Entomology:’ and so 
long have I been convinced that this want is the greatest bar to the spread of 
the science amongst us, that in my solitary rambles I have sometimes oceupied 
myself in sketching mentally the plan upon which I conceived it should be 
composed. If you give me encouragement I think I should be induced to give 
some form to my project. But it would be still better if you would become @ 
partner in the speculation — and why not? I heartily wish you would let our 
partnership begin here. I could give you a sketch of my scheme ; you could 
correct, add to it, or propose another. Out of both one could be made, and we 
might then divide the several parts between us, and finally jointly amalgamate 
them into a whole. Pray think of this, and give me your opinion.* 
“ Believe me, my dear Sir, 
“ Ever yours, 
“W. SPENCE.” 
Mr. Kirby’s answer to the preceding remarks was dated Barham, Dec. 
17, 1808. After referring to various entomological matters in my letter, 
he observes : -— 
“ As our thoughts jumped, as they say, about a ‘ British Entomology,’ so did 
they as to the preparatory step — an * Introduction to Entomology,’ — at least, 
Thad such a work in my thoughts, and had gone so far as to draw up a list of 
* Tt is proper to advert here to a discrepancy between my proposal in the above 
Jetter of a popular Introduction to Entomology when I first started the idea, and the 
short account of the origin of our book in my letter to the President of the Entomo- 
logical Society, announcing the death of Mr. Kirby (“Transactions of the Entomo- 
logical Society,” Vol. i. New Series, Proceedings, p. 19.), in which the plan of 
giving it a popular form is spoken of as subsequent to a first idea I had men- 
fioned to him, of making it scientific only. ‘The fact is, that this was my: impres- 
sion both in writing our Preface (in which the plural number is necessarily used) 
and the letter to the President of the Entomological Society; and this impression 
remained until Mr. Freeman had sent me my letters to Mr. Kirby, and I had 
read the above extract. From it I now see, that though my first idea of an In- 
troduction to Entomology was, as I well remember, that of making it scientific 
merely, but very soon changed into the conviction that a popular way of treating 
the subject was alone likely to fulfil my aim, that of making converts to a study 
which 1 found yield me so much delight, —TI never mentioned the idea of a merely 
scientific Introduction to Mr. Kirby at all, but from the first proposed to him its 
being popular. ‘This, in the many years which elapsed between the project of our 
book and the writing the Preface, as well as the letter to the President of the 
Pntomological Society, had wholly escaped my recollection, and gave rise to the 
discrepancy alluded to. In fact, from the moment Mr. Kirby had agreed to join 
me in carrying out my plan of an Introductory work, any reference to its precise 
origin vanished from my mind; all my thoughts for the many years the work 
occupied us, being deyoted to executing and perfecting the design in conjunction 
with my illustrious friend, without whose aid it could not have been satisfactorily 
realised. And that I should thus have proposed to him, and induced him to join 
me in carrying out my original idea, has always been to me a subject of self-gratu- 
lation; for not only did our work, in a great degree, dispel the prejudices which had 
impeded the study of Entomology, and largely increase the number of its votaries, 
but it was of essential service to the science, by offering, under its various heads, 
fit opportunities for the reception from his note-book of the numerous detached ob- 
servations collected by Mr. Kirby during many years, on the economy and habits 
of insects, which would otherwise, in alf probability, have been lost to the world; 
and by placing him under the necessity of extending his former studies to a much 
wider and closer investigation of every department of Entomology, which led to a 
great accession to his previous knowledge, yielding a rich harvest to the science 
both in our work and his subsequent ones. 
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