ix. 



Purple Hairstreak, Small Cabbage White, and the Green-veined White. 

 Albin dedicates the plates to various different persons (a custom which has 

 unfortunately fallen out of use in the present century), who bore the expense 

 of the plates ; and the entire work to her Royal Highness the Princess of 

 Wales. 



In the preface he informs us that Mr. Dandridge employed him in paint- 

 ing caterpillars, and that he painted a lot of caterpillars and flies for Mr. 

 How, and likewise several things relating to natural history for Sir Hans 

 Sloane. Also that the Duchess Dowager of Beaufort employed him in the 

 same manner, and that she was the first to persuade him to undertake his 

 work, and encouraged him by procuring subscriptions from persons of the 

 first quality; amongst them Henry Bentinck, Earl of Portland, father-in-law 

 of the celebrated Duchess of Portland. 



I may as well mention here that I have in my possession Albin's original 

 drawings. 



He also published in 1736, a Natural History of Spiders, and other curious 

 insects, 200 in number. 



In 1739, Professor Bradley published, at London, his "Philosophical 

 Account of the Works of Nature." At page 190 of his work, he informs 

 us that the following were very eminent collectors of insects : " the Duchess 

 of Beaufort, who has bred a greater variety of English insects than were ever 

 rightly observed by any one person in Europe; Sir Hans Sloane; Mr. Yin- 

 cent; Dr. Ruysch; and Mr. Sebra have surprising collections, where we may 

 observe many thousands of foreign insects ; and Mr. Dandridge, who has so 

 industriously collected the insects of our own country." Bradley gives a few 

 engravings of insects, but does not appear to have much advanced the science. 



We are now arrived at that period in the history of Entomology, in which 

 it received that, with respect to its general outline, which has been preserved 

 ever since. Swammerdam had altogether deserted the system of Aristotle, 

 and Ray mixed it with that of his predecessor. But two years after the 

 death of Ray was born the greatest naturalist the world, has ever been graced 

 with, the immortal Linnaeus. This illustrious philosopher was born on the 

 24th of May, 1707, in the little village of Roeshult, in Sweden, and imbibed 

 a taste for entomology almost as early as botany, In the first edition of his 

 "Systema Naturae," published in 1735, and contained in only fourteen folio 

 pages, he began to arrange the three kingdoms of nature after his own con- 

 ceptions. But this initiatory sketch, as might be expected, was very imper- 

 fect ; and with respect to insects, was extremely inferior to what Pay had 

 effected; for he puts into one order, to which he gives the name of 



