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tHE BRltiSH NATURALIST. [SEPTEMBEii 



NATURALISTS OF THE DAY. 



VIIL— DAVID SHARP, 



M.A., M.B., CM., F.R.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S., F.E.S., ETC. 



David Sharp was born in 1840. Probably in his case, as in so 

 many others, the naturalist "was born, not made," for as a little boy 

 he was enormously delighted with a small 8vo. volume that came into 

 his possession, stated to be an introduction to the Linnaean system of 

 Zoology, but which was merely a brief sketch, accompanied with 

 rough figures of some of the better known animals. When a little 

 older. Sharp had the good fortune tc be for some years the daily 

 companion of Herbert Spencer, who encouraged him in his taste for 

 collecting and rearing specimens, and interested him very much in the 

 questions afterwards discussed by Darwen in the famous "Origin of 

 Species." He had, however, no special entomologist amongst his 

 circle of acquaintances, and it was not till he met with copies of the 

 beginning of Stainton's " Manual of Butterflies and Moths," and his 

 " Entomologist's Weekly Intelligencer," that the lad became aware 

 that any systematic detailed work was carried on in collecting and 

 studying insects. Just about the same time, by a happy accident, he 

 made the acquaintance of Mr. J. R. Hind, the well-known astronomer, 

 Avho, at that time was much interested in butterHies and had a good 

 collection of those of Europe. The kind way in which this gentlemen 

 treated the lad, and the sight of iiis collection, confirmed the 

 youngster's nascent taste for Entomology. Originally he was, like so 

 many others, chieflly interested in Lepidoptera, but under the 

 impression that the others were more neglected, and that he had a 

 better chance of doing useful work in them, he abandoned the 

 Lepidoptera, exchanging his collection thereof with the late Henry 

 Edwards and T. V. WoUaston for Coleoptera, and has since devoted 

 his entomological activity chiefly to the study of the latter order. He 

 has always been anxious to encourage the study of the neglected 

 orders of insects, and has himself discovered, for the first time in 

 Britain, several species of them. 



General Notes. 



MiCRO-LARV,E FOR THE MoNTH. — We Cannot help noticing when 

 September arrives that the season of flowers is passing away, although 

 many, during the earlier portion of the month, are still to be seen in 

 all their beauty, but as the days pass on, the seed pods and seed 

 heads begin to appear, and with them the larvae of the numerous 



