THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S 
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
No. 233.] SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 1861. [Price Id. 
WORK. 
Work is a necessity of our nature. 
We cannot exist in any comfort with- 
out it; yet many who are compelled 
to work are disposed to think it a 
hardship that they should be forced to 
labour. 
Paley was wont to perplex himself 
in endeavouring to understand the 
nature of the happiness enjoyed by 
such sedentary animals as oysters and 
periwinkles; but a lethargic state of 
existence may be the most congenial 
to some dispositions, and some there 
are who resolutely, and of their own 
free will, abstain as much as possible 
from work. We do not deem such 
amongst the most favoured of their 
| race. 
There are probably few who have 
set resolutely to any kind of work who 
have not found an actual pleasure in 
that work, to which no moments of 
leisure can be compared. 
Yet, this being the case, how is it 
we have not more thorough and 
earnest workers at Entomology than 
we have? There are plenty who will 
play with the subject, yet many who 
could do good service if they would 
turn their attention in that direction 
abstain from work. 
Why is this? The Meetings of the 
Entomological Society of London are 
well attended ; generally forty of our 
most distinguished entomologists are 
present on a meeting night; yet out 
of that number are there ten who 
have ever read papers before the 
Society? People like to gossip and 
drink tea, but they don’t care to be 
bored with the labour of writing 
papers. Is that the interpretation we 
are to put upon their silence? We 
can scarcely think that entomologists 
are quite so lazy a race; but yet we 
do believe some amount of laziness 
lies at the root of the evil of which 
we are complaining. 
Are they diffident of their own 
powers, and deem themselves incapable 
of producing anything likely to pass 
successfully the severe scrutiny of the 
Publication Committee? We do be- 
lieve there is a good deal in that: 
people are so apt to shrink from an 
imaginary danger, yet we would cer- 
tainly recommend any one who feels 
