6 



Descriptions of Netv 



up his entomological treasures, a useless heap, eventually to 

 be destroyed by moths and time: — I say, that a man who acts 

 upon principles like those, finds himself not seldom dishear- 

 tened in the prosecution of his studies under difficulties such 

 as I have set forth. If, however, as I have endeavoured to 

 point out, these difficulties can be overcome to a very consi- 

 derable extent, is anything more natural than that he should 

 be the herald of his discoveries himself? Could anything be 

 more unkind and ungenerous on the part of his scientific 

 brethren at home, than to oppose and discourage him by their 

 disapprobation ? I might enlarge on this subject, which has 

 been a sore one with me for a long time, to a great extent, 

 but I think this is sufficient to direct the reader into the 

 train of my ideas and to enable him to follow it up. 



I hasten therefore to conclude. As mentioned above, the 

 Tropical entomologist has a proportionate share of advantages 

 to balance what falls to his lot of the contrary ; one of these 

 advantages which he has over his brethren at home is, that 

 he has an opportunity of seeing and studying alive what can 

 at home only be examined in a state differing more or less 

 from that of life. Therefore, if he is enabled and expected to 

 describe new species, it is moreover highly desirable for the 

 sake of the promulgation of sound information, that he should 

 do so, that he should avail himself of this, his principal ad- 

 vantage, and describe, fresh from nature, as many of his fa- 

 vourites and their habits as possible ; and discouraging him 

 in such an undertaking on any of the above grounds would be 

 discouraging the progress of science in general. 



