THE 
WEEKLY EWTQMOLOCtST. 
“entojia quidquid agunt nostri est farrago libelli.” 
No. 38.] SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1863. [Price 2d. 
“ NUNOTAM MORIEMUR IOTJLTI.” 
rnRAYELLERS tell us of certain 
-L races of barbarians, among 
whom the custom prevails of de- 
stroying old men. Among these 
people, when the first signs of second 
childhood appear the aged person 
who exhibits them is knocked on the 
head or left to starve, or put out of 
the way in some other equally effi- 
cacious manner. 
Cruel as this manner of providing 
for The aged undoubtedly is, we 
cannot shut our eyes to its advan- 
tages, and circumstances that have 
lately come before us have brought 
it prominently forward. 
Rather more than a year ago the 
“Weekly Entomologist” was in its 
childhood. As months passed by 
its faculties.were developed and its 
growth steadily increased; it rapidly 
reached maturity, and now, we 
regret to say, it has for some little 
time exhibited marked symptoms of 
decay. “ What must be done for it, 
or with it ?” is no new question. Only 
three courses presented themselves. 
It might be passed into other hands 
to try the effect of change of air. 
From this good results might be 
hoped ; but, alas ! no one seemed 
willing to have it. Those who would 
have welcomed it as a child turned 
their backs on the old man. It 
might be supported in its decline 
and permitted to protract a wretched 
existence from day to day f?ill ex- 
haustion and utter helplessness put 
an end to it, or by one decisive blow 
it might be removed while decay 
was only beginning to manifest itself 
to experienced eyes. The first course 
we wished to adopt, but the choice 
was not with ourselves. Between 
the two last alternatives we have 
not hesitated long. We have taken 
the course alluded to above, as pre- 
vailing among certain barbarous 
peoples, and, for the sake of the 
public as well as of the Editors and 
the paper itself, have resolved that 
next week the “Weekly Entomolo- 
gist” shall die. 
When the paper was in contem- 
plation, and during its earlier days, 
many were the predictions concern- 
ing its future that were bestowed on 
the editors. One class of prophets 
foretold an existence of a few days 
