THE ENTOMOLOGISTS 
WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1859. [Price Id. 
No. 133.] 
THE UNIVERSITIES. 
It is now more than two years since 
the Oxford University Entomological 
Society was established, and nearly 
two years have elapsed since the Ento- 
mological Society of Cambridge fol- 
lowed in its wake. We do not pre- 
sume to infer that Cambridge imitated 
Oxford, or was led by its example to 
adopt a similar proceeding, but we 
merely remark that the establishment 
of the two Societies was not syn- 
chronous. 
We were of the number of those 
who hailed with delight the establish- 
ment of these Societies, as we per- 
ceived what a valuable help they 
would be to youngsters in preserving 
them from the anti -Natural- History 
feelings of the Universities. 
We now venture to approach the 
rather delicate enquiry of how far 
these Societies have succeeded, and 
whether they have yet attained a 
maximum of usefulness. 
The Cambridge Society admits town 
as well as gown to the privilege of 
Membership ; the Oxford Society is 
restricted to gowns- men. For the pre- 
sent we will, therefore, confine our 
considerations to the latter class of 
readers. 
The gowns-men are divided into two 
great classes, — under- graduates and 
those who have taken their degree. 
Comparatively very few remain at Col- 
lege after the B.A. is attained, but a 
supply of freshmen annually arrives 
to fill the vacant rooms left by the 
departure of those who have passed. 
A Society composed entirely of under- 
graduates would be almost a rope of 
sand ; its materials would be con- 
stantly changing, — there would be no 
cohesion, and a grey head would be 
impossible: such a Society would re- 
mind one of the apparently stationary 
clouds on the summits of mountains 
when a strong wind is blowing, in 
which the precipitated vapour is con- 
tinually forming on one side of the 
mountain as fast as it is dissolved on 
the other, so that though the actual 
form of the cloud appears stationary, 
its materials inter se are in rapid 
motion, the windward side moves to 
leeward, is then dissipated and is re- 
placed by fresh clouds on the wind- 
ward side. 
Now, then, a University Society 
ought to cast out grappling irons in 
D 
