Gardner : Rise of the Literature op Entomology. 35 



He says that when the pupa changes into the imago, the head of the 

 pupa becomes the tail of the imago, and vice versa ! This certainly 

 seems a strange idea for such an entomologist as MufFet to have 

 taken into his head ; but although Swammerdam, in his great work 

 in 1669, took the trouble to disprove the statement at some length. 

 Muffet's theory has been copied by compilers of works on Natural 

 History from one to another, without scruple, for over 200 years, and 

 I daresay many have, like myself, met with it in ^ome of the so-called 

 popular books on Natural History, even at the present day — Muffet's 

 name alone having been taken as a sufficient guarantee for the truth 

 of such an absurd assertion. 



Thus we have endeavoured to trace the rise and progress of 

 Entomological Literature from unknown writers before the time of 

 Aristotle (who was born nearly 400 years before the Christian era) 

 down to the publication of Muffet's " Theatrum Insectorum," a.d. 

 1634. We have seen that although insects were by no means 

 unnoticed before, Muffet's " Theatrum," which was printed- at London^ 

 was the first separate work, on all orders of insects, published, to the 

 world. England, which has been, and we 'hope ever will be, first in 

 most things, can thus claim to have produced the earliest important 

 work on Entomology, the book before us. 



I fear, now I have come to a close, that many will say (rightly too, 

 perhaps) that these notes are more fit for an Antiquarian than for an 

 Entomological Society ; but still I trust it has not been unprofitable 

 to devote a little time and trouble in tracing out the early history of 

 our interesting study. 



N.B. — The author will be glad to receive any corrections or 

 additions to the above. 



ANCIENT PEAT BOG NEAR OLDHAM. 



On Monday evening, the 13th Sept., about eighty ladies and gentle- 

 men met in front of the General Post Office, Greaves-street, at the 

 invitation of the Oldham Microscopical Society, and led by Mr. James 

 Nield, proceeded to the very interesting section of boulder clay 

 enclosing a bed of peat which has recently been uncovered near Rhodes 

 Bank. Mr. Nield entered into various explanations as to the peat, 

 after which the company adjourned to the Union Club, where Mr. 

 Nield read the following paper : — 



" The section before us, though not a large one, is very varied and 

 full of interest. In the depth of 14 feet we have two thick beds of 



