144 
THE entomologist’s RECORD. 
finally decided, much against the wishes of his parents, to adopt the 
professional stage. In 1853 he embarked for Australia, where he made 
his first appearance as an actor, and where he passed many prosperous 
years. From Australia he drifted to Peru and Panama, and in 1867 he 
reached San Francisco, California. In about 1877 he made his first 
appearance in the east, at Boston, and finally in 1879 came to New 
York In 1889-1890 he again visited his old home in Australia, from 
where he returned last year. During all these years he was constantly 
connected with the stage, until only a short time previous to his decease, 
when he was compelled to retire on account of his illness. At the time 
of his death he had just returned from a trip to the Catskill Mountains, 
where he was staying for his health, and three and a half hours later he 
entered into rest and the everlasting silence. 
As an entomologist Mr. Edwards was world-known, and was con- 
sidered one of the greatest authorities of the science, to which he was 
attached ever since his boyhood days. He was chiefly known by his 
excellent papers on the Pacific Coast Lepidoptera, which contain the 
descriptions of many new and interesting species from that region. He 
was also known by his articles on North American Hilgeriadae, of which 
family he described nearly all our American species. Besides these 
papers he has also written many other articles on descriptions of new 
species and transformation of Lepidoptera. He also edited three 
volumes of the journal Papilio The last large work he published 
w'as his Bibliographical Catalogue of the Described Transfor 77 iations of 
North American Lepidoptera^ which is now in the hands of all our 
working entomologists. 
Mr. Edwards spent much money for the increase of his collection of 
insects, and devoted all his leisure time to his favourite study. His 
travels afforded him many rare opportunities for collecting material for 
his collection and writings. The collection consists of about 300,000 
specimens of insects of all the orders from all parts of the globe. It 
contains the types of all the species he described, about four hundred 
and fifty, except a few which are in other collections. It also contains 
a number of Grote’s types of Noctuidae and Pyralidae, and many of 
Fish’s types of Pterophoridae, and types of other writers. It contains 
the unique pair of Oniticellus californicus^ and also many other uniques, 
oddities, and rarities of considerable value. The collection is one of 
the largest private collections in the world His library consists of 
about five hundred volumes of entomological works, and about double 
the number of pamphlets, and about two thousand volumes on travels 
and other topics (I am not sure about these figures). 
Mr. Edwards belonged to many scientific and other societies. He 
was for some time vice-president of the California Academy of Sciences, 
life-member Brooklyn Entomological Society, member of the Torrey 
Botanical Club, Players’ Club (New York), Bohemian Club (San 
Francisco), San Francisco Microscopical Society, corresponding member 
Boston Society (Natural History), San Diego Natural History Society, 
Belgium Natural History Society, etc. 
He leaves a widow who deeply mourns his loss, and we would here 
add our condolence, sympathy, and heartfelt regret for her irreparable 
bereavement. — Wm. Beutenmuller, New York. June 15//^, 1891. 
(From the Canadian Ento??iologist, July, 1891.) 
