584 APPENDIX. 
parts, and of terms applied to those parts. In order to break the matter gra- 
dually to Marsham, I have told him of our plan of an ‘Introduction to En- 
tomology.’ With MacLeay, upon whose secreey and judgment I can rely, 
Ihave gone further, having opened to him our whole plan, and requested his 
sentiments, as we would both wish to do every thing as much as possible in a 
way not to hurt our friend Marsham’s feelings. ‘The former I expect to hear 
from daily; from the latter I have heard, but he took no notice of what I said 
about our ‘Introduction to Entomology.’ And now let me reply to what you 
say about terms,” &c. 
My reply to this letter is dated Drypool, Jan, 2, 1809, and six closely- 
written pages are filled with further comments on his proposed mono- 
graph of Staphylinide. I then proceed towards the end as follows: — 
“Tam quite delighted that we have been so much in unison with regard to 
an ‘Introduction to Entomology,’ and I am glad that you have broken our 
scheme to Marsham, and fully unfolded it to MacLeay. Yet I fear, from the 
former's silence, it is not quite what he approves, though I think it might be 
easily proved to him that nothing would be so likely to promote the sale of 
his work as an elementary work on the science. I shall be impatient for Mac 
Leay’s opinion of the scheme,” 
In another letter to Mr. Kirby, dated January 25, 1809, principally 
devoted to giving my reasons for making as few changes as possible in old 
and generally-received entomological nomenclature, though it may not 
be strictly correct, I observe towards its close : — 
“To turn to another subject, — our embryo ‘Introduction to Entomology,’— 
T will here give you my ideas as to the plan of such a work, which I submit to 
your consideration, ' Tell me what you think of it, and propose any that you 
inay deem better. The first requisite of such a work is, I think, that it should 
be popular, — that it be a book which might be read with pleasure and in- 
struction even by those who have no intention of studying the technicals of the 
science, Entomology is at such a low ebb amongst us, and so many obstacles 
and prejudices are to be overcome in rendering its study general, that the first 
approach cannot be made too attractive. In this view I would throw the work 
into Letters, — a form which admits of much latitude in amusing digressions, 
and for which Rousseau’s ‘Letters on Botany,’ Sprengel’s recent ‘Letters on 
Cryptogamic Terminology,’ &c. are sufticient precedents, From my own ex- 
perience in studying the science of botany, I know how much more pleasant it 
is to have the at best rather dry materiuls of terminology conveyed in a familiar 
style, and made palatable by an attractive vehicle, Having fixed on the epis- 
tolary form, the first letter I would devote to refuting objections on the score of 
the trifling nature of the science, — pointing out the advantages which man al- 
ready derives from the insect world ; — the probability of his greatly augment- 
ing them ;—the vast power of insects to injure him;—the necessity, in warding 
off this evil, of ascertaining them scientifically ; —the pleasures to be derived 
from the study, &c. &e. Then I would proceed to the mode of collecting in- 
sects, preserving them, &c., which would fill three or four letters. Lastly, I 
would enter upon the terminology, — first giving a general idea of the system, 
and then teaching the terms by supposingtthe correspondent to have before him 
some very common Coleopterous species, the parts of which might be still fur- 
ther illustrated by a few good outline figures, In this description of parts I 
would confine myself chiefy to the order Coleoptera, since that alone can at 
present be satisfactorily studied in this conntry. ‘The peculiar terminology of 
