INSULARITY. 
248 
insects, or fossils (according to what we are mainly interested 
in), and prepared them for the species which would be most 
likely to repay collecting, and the sort of places where they 
were most likely to be found. I think that an arrangement 
of this description would strongly resemble Shakespeare’s 
description of the “ quality of mercy,” in this respect, “ that 
it would be twice blessed—it blesses him that gives and him 
that takes.” 
I am inclined to regard it as a somewhat unpromising 
sign of the times, that so many manuals on the British Fauna 
and Flora are being issued at present. No doubt they have 
a use—and a very important use, though a limited one—they 
are of the greatest assistance to the beginners. In the hands 
of young students a reliable manual of the British repre¬ 
sentatives of the study of his choice forms a very desirable 
framework on which to base his future investigations. But 
with how large a number of persons is not the extent of 
scientific knowledge (if it can be called such) as comprised in 
a British manual their be-all, and end-all? Surely this is 
an unsatisfactory state of things. We all want a general 
knowledge as a foundation, but, that once gained, our next 
object surely should be, to become a specialist. In other 
words, as we are not, most of us, professional scientific men, 
and perhaps unfitted therefore to become leading lights in 
any one entire branch of natural history, we should try 
nevertheless to master completely some minor section of one 
branch of science, so as to benefit that science, as a whole, 
by our contributions to the knowledge of one of its parts. 
I do not think that we amateur naturalists keep a suffi¬ 
ciently lofty ideal before our minds. It is well to derive 
amusement and recreation from our scientific pursuits, but 
should we not look higher than this ? Science will, perhaps, 
put nothing in our pockets, but what of that ? Is nothing 
worthy of real work which will not return so much per cent. ? 
I think we should aim at being of use to our science in our 
degree—aim at adding our quota, though it be a humble one, 
to the general sum of knowledge, as far as our other avoca¬ 
tions permit—to be, in short, scientific worker bees, not 
merely drones. And it is a question for ourselves to settle 
whether we are ever likely to do anything worth the doing, 
except by the merest chance, by going over and over again 
the same beggarly elements, where so many others have 
been before us, with the sole aid of never so excellent a 
British manual. 
I am not sure that another feature of the scientific 
literature of the day, the large and increasing number of 
