No, 9. — 1856-8.] new ceylon coleoptera. 



5 



may (his principal assistance being perseverance, a good 

 library, and tact — entomological instinct I am almost tempted 

 to call it) — I am far from saying entirely, — be overcome so far 

 as to expose him, from want of resources in the execution of 

 his plan, to no more mistakes then entomologists expose them- 

 selves to under more favourable circumstances from neglecting 

 them. 



But I am not satisfied with obtaining the simple grant 

 of permission to describe on the spot a part of what he 

 collects. I claim more for the entomologist abroad. I wish 

 to show that he should naturally be expected, nay desired, 

 to do so ; for although he labours under distressing disad- 

 vantages in some respects, he happily enjoys a proportionate 

 share of advantages in others. It is unsatisfactory in the 

 extreme for an enthusiastic entomologist to be obliged to 

 let his collections go out of his own hands, — see others reap 

 the honors from them, which are to be reaped on such occa- 

 sions, — or perhaps see as it were a gulf close over them, hear 

 no more of them, and find himself forgotten. For what is 

 a mere collector? Let him display as much industry as 

 possible, he is hardly looked upon as an entomologist — cer- 

 tainly, as long as he is prevented from publishing anything, 

 not as a scientific one. Now, if such a man merely desists 

 from publishing the fruits of his researches from want of 

 resources to assist him to go creditably through such a task,— if 

 he suffers his collections to go out of his hands, because he is too 

 true a lover of science not to see the credit in a great mea- 

 sure due to himself reaped rather by another than to hoard 

 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 consid- 

 erable 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 



