﻿Edward 
  Saunders. 
  

  

  xvn 
  

  

  only 
  named 
  many 
  specimens 
  for 
  me, 
  as 
  a 
  beginner, 
  but 
  sent 
  me 
  a 
  copy 
  of 
  bis 
  

   ' 
  Synopsis 
  ' 
  and 
  gave 
  me 
  many 
  accurately 
  named 
  specimens 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  to 
  

   facilitate 
  study. 
  I 
  sbould 
  think 
  no 
  man 
  was 
  ever 
  more 
  generous 
  — 
  both 
  in 
  

   giving 
  specimens 
  and 
  assistance 
  in 
  naming. 
  The 
  latter 
  must 
  have 
  taken 
  up 
  

   an 
  enormous 
  amount 
  of 
  the 
  time 
  he 
  could 
  devote 
  to 
  Entomology, 
  for 
  I 
  know 
  

   that 
  some 
  Hymenopterists, 
  who 
  had 
  not 
  the 
  gift 
  of 
  appreciating 
  difficult 
  

   specific 
  characters, 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  sending 
  him 
  the 
  same 
  species, 
  year 
  

   after 
  year, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  getting 
  these 
  named 
  wholesale. 
  

  

  " 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  his 
  work 
  on 
  Hymenoptera 
  is 
  concerned, 
  though 
  this 
  was 
  not 
  

   very 
  extensive, 
  it 
  was 
  of 
  excellent 
  quality. 
  In 
  my 
  opinion 
  none 
  of 
  our 
  

   Hymenopterists 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  can 
  be 
  considered 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  class, 
  excepting 
  

   only 
  Haliday. 
  With 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Synopsis 
  ' 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   papers 
  of 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  date, 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  that 
  branch 
  of 
  British 
  

   Hymenopterology, 
  which 
  had, 
  since 
  Kirby's 
  ' 
  Monographia,' 
  lagged 
  behind 
  

   the 
  best 
  continental 
  work, 
  became 
  comparable 
  with 
  the 
  very 
  best 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  

  

  " 
  Systematic 
  entomologists 
  are, 
  or 
  should 
  be, 
  notorious 
  for 
  their 
  gross 
  

   carelessness, 
  but 
  I 
  should 
  certainly 
  consider 
  Saunders 
  an 
  exception, 
  or 
  at 
  

   least 
  as 
  a 
  very 
  slight 
  offender, 
  though 
  I 
  find 
  that 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  in 
  his 
  letters 
  

   to 
  me 
  he 
  speaks 
  of 
  his 
  great 
  fault 
  — 
  ' 
  carelessness.' 
  Compared 
  with 
  most 
  

   systematists 
  he 
  certainly 
  had 
  nothing 
  to 
  reproach 
  himself 
  with 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  

   There 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  clever 
  and 
  shrewd 
  Hymenopterist 
  — 
  

   excellent 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  and 
  study 
  alike. 
  But 
  his 
  encouragement 
  of 
  the 
  

   beginner 
  and 
  the 
  help 
  he 
  was 
  so 
  ready 
  to 
  give 
  to 
  any 
  one 
  who 
  asked 
  it, 
  how- 
  

   ever 
  much 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  encroached 
  upon 
  his 
  own 
  time, 
  always 
  returns 
  to 
  my 
  

   mind, 
  when 
  I 
  think 
  of 
  him." 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  is 
  indebted 
  to 
  the 
  following 
  obituary 
  notices 
  of 
  Edward 
  

   Saunders, 
  as 
  also 
  to 
  members 
  of 
  his 
  family, 
  to 
  Dr. 
  B. 
  C. 
  L. 
  Berkins, 
  and 
  

   Mr. 
  Bothney:— 
  

  

  (1) 
  'The 
  Entomologist's 
  Monthly 
  Magazine,' 
  2nd 
  series, 
  vol. 
  xxi, 
  March, 
  

   1910, 
  p. 
  49, 
  with 
  a 
  portrait, 
  by 
  the 
  Bev. 
  F. 
  D. 
  Morice. 
  

  

  (2) 
  'The 
  British 
  Bee 
  Journal,' 
  April 
  7, 
  1910, 
  p. 
  135, 
  by 
  F. 
  W. 
  L. 
  Sladen. 
  

  

  (3) 
  'The 
  Broceedings 
  of 
  the 
  Linnean 
  Society 
  of 
  London,' 
  Session 
  122, 
  

   1909-10, 
  p. 
  94, 
  by 
  the 
  Bev. 
  T. 
  B. 
  B. 
  Stebbing, 
  F.B.S. 
  

  

  E. 
  B. 
  B. 
  

  

  