148 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
abundance of insect life surrounding him in all directions, and 
forcing itself, as it were, upon his notice in all his walks, offers 
a constant succession of objects of interest. In the spring,, 
when all nature wakes from the torpor of winter, this is 
especially the case. With the first days of sunshine thousands 
of insects make their appearance — the solitary bees and sand- 
wasps are to be seen emerging from the galleries in which they 
have passed their early stages, or flying busily about the flowers 
and hovering over the banks of sand or clay in which they are 
about to burrow and deposit their eggs ; the brilliant tiger-beetles 
flit about sandy lanes and commons, sparkling in the sunlight like 
living emeralds ; the field-paths glitter in the morning with the 
small carnivorous beetles commonly known as 66 sunshiners,” 
whose place is taken in the evening by their larger relatives, the 
great ground beetles ( Cardbus ) ; plenty of that multitude of 
beetles of various groups which deposit their eggs in the drop- 
pings of horses and cattle are seen flying steadily through the 
air; on the surface of still waters the whirligig-beetle is enjoy- 
ing his mystic circular dance, while from time to time the water- 
beetles come quietly up, and, after applying their tails for a 
moment to the surface, in search of air, plunge down again into 
the depths ; or the water-boatman ( Notonecta ) hangs for a short 
time in a similar position, with his long oar-like legs outspread 
ready for action on the least alarm ; and even a few early 
butterflies, the beautiful “ Brimstone ” especially, flutter gaily 
through the air. On a fine day in spring or early summer the 
entomologist perhaps of all men in this blase nineteenth century 
realises most fully the charm of old Izaak Walton’s pastoral. 
Entomology may not improperly be denominated the modern 
“ Contemplative Man’s Recreation.” 
It is unnecessary, and would lead me too far, to expatiate on the 
insect phenomena of the summer and autumn — on the succession 
of new forms which replace or mingle with those of the spring- 
tide, and keep the interest of the entomologist alive until 
quite late in the year. But there is one point which I would 
urge upon the beginner in the study of insects, and that is to 
yield to that instinct which is sure to prompt him at first to 
collect and gain some knowledge of all the forms which attract 
his attention, before sitting down to the special investigation of 
some one department which is almost equally certain to be the 
result of his further progress. It is only by this means that 
the full benefit of the study which it is my desire to recommend 
to the reader can be obtained. 
It is, perhaps, hardly necessary at this time of day to vindi- 
cate the study of entomology, or indeed of any branch of 
zoology, from the charge of being merely the amusement of 
contemptibly frivolous minds. A century ago such a notion 
