86 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



inviting agriculturists generally to give all 

 the information in their power of cases of 

 injury to or destruction of food crops, or 

 fruit and forest trees, through the agency 

 of insects offering in return to give the most 

 recent information as to the best and least 

 expensive means of preventing or diminishing 

 such attacks. The result was a considerable 

 amount of correspondence, and in several 

 cases he was able to point out the remedy, 

 and thus do incalculable good. The presi- 

 dent considered this the kind of work in 

 which the society should engage, and was 

 sure that, if Dr. Ellis would undertake in 

 the coming season the same duties the 

 members would gladly assist him to the 

 best of their ability. During the past year 

 several interesting and valuable books had 

 been added to the library, which now 

 contained a most comprehensive list of 

 entomological works. The librarian would 

 testify that the books did not remain idle 

 on their shelves, but were well perused. 

 The president took this opportunity of 

 saying that if any friends had entomological 

 books in their iibraries seldom read, and 

 desired they should be more frequently 

 used, they could not do better than send 

 them to the Lancashire and Cheshire 

 Entomological Society. The past year had 

 not been a favourable one for the lepidop- 

 terist, and from all parts of the country 

 complaints had been received of the scarcity 

 of lepidoptera. This had been more 

 particularly the case in the New Forest and 

 South of England generally. Numerous 

 attempts had been made to account for the 

 scarcity and abundance of insect life in 

 certain seasons, but hitherto no satisfactory 

 solution of the difficulty had been discovered. 

 Early last year the society and entomology 

 generally, sustained a great loss in the 

 death of their late vice-president, Mr. 

 Benjamin Cooke, who died at Southport on 

 the 3rd February. Mr. Cooke was a 

 collector of all orders of British insects. 



Latterly his attention had been more con- 

 centrated upon hymenoptera and diptera. 

 Mr. Cooke not only was a collector, but he 

 devoted his life to the study of entomology, 

 and few men had a more thorough knowledge 

 of insect life generally. In him the president 

 had lost a very kind friend of some thirty 

 years acquaintance, and one he could never 

 replace. The entomological world had 

 sustained another great loss in the death of 

 Professor Tellu, who died suddenly of heart 

 disease at his residence at Griinhap, near 

 Stettin. No man has bestowed so much 

 time on the study of micro lepidoptera. In 

 1855 appeared the first of the thirteen 

 volumes of "The Natural History of the 

 Tineina," by Stainton, assisted by Tellu and 

 Douglas. Of this series the whole of the 

 German and Latin letter-press was translated 

 by Professor Tellu from the original English, 

 and he also contributed many valuable 

 remarks. The president regretted this work 

 had not continued. He thought it impossible 

 to value it too highly, and he considered 

 the life history of each individual therein 

 portrayed as near perfection as possible. 

 He had written to Mr. Stainton expressing 

 a wish that future volumes might be forth- 

 coming, but Mr. Stainton seemed doubtful. 

 Would not some of their younger men who 

 made the "micros" their peculiar study, 

 undertake this ? He could not suggest any- 

 body more competent to do this than one 

 their members — namely, Mr. J. H. Threlfall, 

 of Preston ; and he was sure if he did so he 

 would be ably assisted by Mr. Stainton 

 himself, and by such men as Sang, Gregson, 

 Hodgkinson, Grigg, &c. ; while, if money 

 was required, there were plenty of ento- 

 mologists willing to share in the expense. 

 The year 1883 had not been very prolific in 

 new works on entomology. Early in the 

 year Mr. Kirby's work on European butter- 

 flies and moths was completed. This beauti- 

 fully illustrated work was published at 

 a price within the reach of the public 



