428 
FAUNA AND FLORA OF NORFOLK : COLEOPTERA. 
find Bobert Scales sending to William Spence from Halvergate 
Cardbus clathratus, an insect only found nowadays in Scotland 
and Ireland ; Simon Wilkin opening a parcel of Apions , sent by 
Scales to Kirby for determination, naming them himself, and 
helping himself to certain of his desiderata; and we learn that the 
society regularly “journalized” all Norfolk insects, whatever that 
may have been. 
It is a matter of great regret that, of all the long list of Norfolk 
names that one meets with in the older entomological works, there 
are scarcely any of whom we can obtain any particulars at the 
present day. It is true that they were mere collectors, and that in 
all probability a record of their doings would not be of much 
account from a scientific point of view ; but still it is natural that 
we, as Norfolk men, should feel an interest in the state of the insect 
fauna of our own county under conditions differing widely from the 
present. For my own part I have always felt a keen interest in 
the personality of the Rev. John Burrell, A.M., F.L.S., and F.E.S., 
sometime rector of Letheringsett, and the author of a list of 
Norfolk insects, of which the first portion dealing with the 
Coleoptera appeared in the ‘ Transactions ’ of the Entomological 
Society of London during the first decade of the present century. 
All that I can learn about him is almost exclusively contained in 
a letter from a gentleman to whom he was personally known, from 
which I gather that although he was a good entomologist (and of 
this his list gives ample evidence) he was but an indifferent parson. 
Simon Wilkin, too, merits something more than a mere passing 
notice. It is, perhaps, impossible now to form an accurate estimate 
of the influence which, directly and indirectly, he exercised on 
the study of Entomology in this country. He contemplated the 
production of a Catalogue of Insects, actually printing a portion of 
it at his own expense; and he bore the cost of the plates to 
Kirby and Spence’s ‘ Introduction to Entomology ; ’ but probably 
the greatest benefit which he conferred on science was his early 
patronage of John Curtis. The talented author of ‘British 
Entomology’ was originally a clerk in Norwich, and in the year 
1811 was engaged by Wilkin as a draughtsman, remaining in his 
service until about 1817 ; and being in the meantime placed with 
an engraver at Bungay, by whom he was taught the art in which 
he afterwards gained such distinction. 
