Chapter I: Part 1

Transcriber's note:

The copy on which this edition is based was bound with the 3 volumes of text in one physical volume and the plates in another. They have been reordered into 3 separate projects with the plates inserted adjacent to the related text - other copies are known to have been bound in this fashion.

Page numbers enclosed by curly braces (example: {25}) have been incorporated to facilitate the use of the Index (in Volume III.).

Images of the original plates are available through Internet Archive. See
https://archive.org/details/illustrationsofe12drur

Project Gutenberg has the other two volumes of this work.
Volume II: see https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/47600.
Volume III: see https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/47601.

* * * * *

ILLUSTRATIONS

OF

EXOTIC ENTOMOLOGY,

CONTAINING

UPWARDS OF SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY

FIGURES AND DESCRIPTIONS

OF

FOREIGN INSECTS,

INTERSPERSED WITH

REMARKS AND REFLECTIONS ON THEIR NATURE AND PROPERTIES.

BY DRU DRURY.

----

A NEW EDITION,

BROUGHT DOWN TO THE PRESENT STATE OF THE SCIENCE, WITH THE SYSTEMATIC CHARACTERS OF EACH SPECIES, SYNONYMS, INDEXES, AND OTHER ADDITIONAL MATTER.

BY J. O. WESTWOOD, F.L.S.

SOC. CÆS. NAT. CUR. MOSQ. SOC. ETC. ETC.

----

VOL. I.

----

LONDON:

HENRY G. BOHN, 4, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.

MDCCCXXXVII.

{iii}PREFACE

TO THE PRESENT EDITION.

The acknowledged value of the figures contained in Drury's "Illustrations,"[1] the extreme rarity of many of the insects figured therein, which continue up to the present day to be unique, and the scarcity of the work itself, which appears almost unknown to Continental Entomologists, having induced the proprietor of the plates to republish the work, I have consented to undertake the charge of bringing it forth in a form more adapted to the present greatly advanced state of Entomology. How far I have succeeded must be left for the candid Entomologist to decide. It is fit however that, by way of bespeaking indulgence for the numerous errors into which I fear that I have, notwithstanding all my care, fallen, I should mention the obstacles which have operated against my giving the work that perfect style which I could have wished it to possess. Of these the chief difficulty has arisen from the non-possession of the specimens which served for the original illustrations, without which it may be readily conceived that it has been impossible to ascertain with precision many of the more minute characters, of which the present state of the science requires the investigation; thus in many cases I have been obliged to remain in ignorance of the particular structure of the antennæ, trophi and legs, and the disposition of the veins of the wings, in many of the smaller species of Lepidoptera, so that the precise genera may not in some instances be correctly stated; and to many I have been compelled to attach marks of interrogation for the like reason. Another and equally strong obstacle has been produced from the little attention paid to exotic {iv}Lepidoptera by modern Entomologists. More than two-thirds of these Illustrations are illustrative of that beautiful order of insects; and yet, with the exception of some of the showy butterflies and moths, scarcely a reference is to be found even in the works of Fabricius, the personal friend of Drury, whose Entomologia Systematica, published in 1793 and 1794, contains the last general summary of the species of this order; Gmelin also, whose Systema Naturæ it has been the fashion to decry, but which, as a laborious compilation from the works of preceding and chiefly Continental authors, is of great service,[2] was only acquainted with these illustrations through the early works of Fabricius.[3] It is true that M. M. Boisduval and Guérin have respectively published various new exotic Lepidoptera, especially of the Nocturnal group, in the Voyages of the Coquille and Astrolabe; but we still want a general revision, not only of the species but of the genera of this order. It was to have been hoped that, as regarded the Javanese species, this would have been effected by Dr. Horsfield, whose work upon the Lepidoptera of Java, as far as published, leaves nothing to be desired of the structural details of the species illustrated therein. M. Boisduval also, in his Histoire Naturelle des Lépidoptères, has treated the subject in a masterly manner, availing himself both of the preparatory states and veining of the wings; but we greatly miss those beautiful details which render the works of Horsfield and Curtis invaluable. It is in this comparative ignorance, both of the structural and metamorphotic details of exotic Lepidoptera, that we may attribute the want of a sound and philosophical distribution of the order in question; and which at the same time prevents us from determining the situation of many remarkable and anomalous groups. Of these the genera Castnia, Urania, &c. and the whole tribe of the Zygænidæ may especially be mentioned; and it is with the view of inciting enquiry into this part of the subject, that I have introduced many of the latter species into the genus Callimorpha amongst the Nocturnal moths.

Another obstacle has been produced by the little attention paid by the Entomologists of the last century to the geographical situation of their insects; as an instance of this, it will be sufficient to mention that Linnæus and Fabricius made use of the term "In Indiis" generally, to indicate that an insect was an inhabitant either of the West or East Indies. Drury indeed appears to have paid more than the ordinary degree of attention to this part of the subject, as appears from the Catalogue of his Insects, which I obtained at the sale of Mr. Donovan's collections, to whom, as appears by a note, they were presented by Mr. Drury. Thus under Lucanus interruptus, (Genus Passalus, Fabricius,) we find the {v}following entries:--

7. 3. Interruptus, Muskito Shore, Capt. Keay, } also at Maryland,
8. 3. Interruptus, Sierra Leone, Mr. Smeathman,} New York,
Carolina, where
they are very
large.
9. 3. Interruptus, Maryland, Mr. Milward, 1756, Lin. Syst.
p. 560, f. 4.
10. 4. Interrupt. var. Rio Janeiro, Mr. Bonifas, 1775, that on the
right hand from Mr. Laing, at
Tobago.
12. Interrupt. var. Bought at Seymour's sale.

Here it is quite evident that Drury had carefully noted down the localities of all the specimens of this insect which he possessed, and which are now described as distinct species; and this extract will I think be quite sufficient to shew, that from the careful manner in which these Catalogues were kept by Mr. Drury, we are entitled to regard them, when there happens to be a difference between the works of Drury and Fabricius, Linnæus, &c. as at least of equal authority with the writings of these authors. I regret that these Catalogues did not come into my hands until after the first and second volumes of this edition were printed off. I have incorporated the notes in the third volume; and have given, as an Appendix, extracts from these Catalogues, where there happens to be any variation or doubt as to the locality of any of the species figured in the first two volumes.

I have almost invariably adopted the very proper principle of referring to that name, either generic or specific, which has the priority in point of date. In the first edition, the first volume appeared without specific names, which were at that time a novelty but recently introduced by Linnæus. In the second volume, however, an appendix was given, containing specific names both of the first and second volumes, and a similar appendix was given at the end of the third volume; but no specific names appeared in the body of the work. To many of the names contained in the appendices Fabricius referred, many he entirely omitted, and for many he substituted others. These last I have of course rejected; and have in many instances given the dates when the names were first imposed by the different authors--a plan which would be very serviceable if generally adopted. I have, likewise, made a point in many cases of restoring the specific _proper_ names, where, in consequence of a change in the sex of the generic name, a corresponding change had been made in such specific name. This alteration had been carried to a great extent in the Encyclopédie Méthodique; and many male and female _proper_ names had been completely altered, in order to suit them to the sex of the new genera in which they were placed. This was, however, an error on the wrong side; because it is admitted as an established principle, that if it should be thought necessary to subdivide a genus, the names of the subdivisions should be of the sex of the original generic name.

The plan upon which the first edition of this work was published may be seen from the following specimen, which is one of the shortest given, but which will be sufficient to shew not only the style of the former edition, but also the manner in which I have treated the subject and the additions which I have introduced.

{vi}Vol. I. Plate II.

Fig. III.--Expands about three inches.

_Upper Side._--The antennæ are black. The head, thorax, and abdomen
brown. All the wings (the edges of which are even not dentated) are of a
deep brown, with a shade of clay colour, rising near the anterior edges
of the superior ones, runs along near the tips and ends at the external
edges.

_Under Side._--The eyes are black, the palpi yellow. All the wings are
the same brown colour as the upper side, with the clay-coloured shade
near the tips as on that. The superior wings have five whitish spots on
each placed on a row near the external edges, the inferior ones have on
each sometimes five and sometimes seven spots of the same colour placed
in a circular row, that meets near the extremity of the body.

I received it from China. I cannot find it any where described.

Fig. III.--Il deploye ses aîles environ trois pouces.

_Le Dessus._--Les antennes sont noires. La tête le corcelet et l'abdomen
bruns. Les aîles (dont les bords sont unis ou point dentélés) sont d'une
couleur brune foncée, avec une nuance couleur d'argille se levant proche
des bords antérieurs des aîles supérieures, qui court le long près des
bouts et finit aux bords extérieurs.

_Le Dessous._--Les yeux sont noires, les antennules jaunes. Toutes les
aîles sont de la même couleur brune que en dessus, avec la nuance
d'argille proche des bouts chacune des aîles supérieures a cinq taches
blanchâtres, placées sur une ligne près des bords extérieurs. Les
inférieures ont chacune quelquefois cinq et quelquefois sept taches de la
même couleur rangées circulairment et se rencontrant près de l'extrémité
du corps.

Il l'ai reçue de la Chine. Je ne le trouve point décrit.

The name of Papilio Eumeus was consequently proposed for this insect in the Appendix to the second volume.

Amongst the manuscripts with which I have been favoured by the relatives of Mr. Drury, or have obtained elsewhere, are comprised a variety of notes relative to the publication of this work, and of observations from which the following are selected. He notices that "his _descriptions_ are only intended to assist the reader in ascertaining the different species; and that they are not intended to be so complete as to give a perfect idea of the animal without the help of the figure." He alludes to the difficulty not only "of ascertaining true colours or calling them by their proper names," but also of "colouring the prints so, as to exactly represent the natural specimens,"--that he has mentioned and given English names to no more parts of insects than had suited his purpose for describing them,--that "there are some parts mentioned in the descriptions which cannot be seen in the plates, such as the Gorget (Sternum), &c. which may serve not only to assist in classing them, but to ascertain their species." "The descriptions of the Hymenoptera are not intended to be so complete as to give a perfect idea of the insect, but are only given to assist the reader in observing the figures."

"All the descriptions are taken from the insects themselves; whatever defects, therefore, are to be observed in comparing them with the coloured figures must be imputed to the artist, as it would not be proper to describe them according to the prints, but to {vii}nature."--It is in consequence of this last remark that I have been careful to omit nothing of the original edition in this edition of the least importance, but have given the description as much as possible in the words of the author himself.

I have also added a general Systematic Index to the entire work, and an Alphabetic Index, in which the names employed in the first edition are distinguished by an asterisk.

The collection formed by Drury was exceedingly choice, and had occupied nearly thirty years in its formation; for although, as Drury himself says (in one of the printed circulars which he distributed with a view to its sale) "there may be in Holland collections more numerous, having in many instances a great number of a single species, yet no collection abounds with such a wonderful variety in all the different genera as this. All the specimens of which it is composed, are in the highest and most exquisite state of preservation, such an extensive collection can be supposed to be, and a very considerable number are _unique_, such as are not to be found in any other Cabinet whatever, and of considerable value; many of which, coming from countries exceedingly unhealthy, where the collectors, in procuring them, have perished by the severity of the climate, give but little room to expect any duplicate will ever be obtained during the present age; and the learned quotations that have been taken from it by those celebrated authors Linnæus and Fabricius, in all their late editions, are incontestable proofs of the high degrees of estimation they entertained of it."

This statement was made in 1788, when the author had consumed upwards of twenty-five years in its formation, and at which period no less a sum than £4,000. had been expended upon the collection. At this period the collection consisted of--

Subjects. Different Species.
Coleoptera 2218 2136
Hemiptera 895 778
Lepidoptera 2462 2148
Neuroptera 172 171
Hymenoptera 533 533
Diptera 552 402
Aptera 105 96
English Collection 2641 2070
---- ----
9578 8370

Subsequently great additions were made to the collection, which, as will be seen from the localities affixed to the species figured in these Illustrations was received from all parts of the world with which England at that period had intercourse. Of the earnest zeal with which this collection was made, an idea may be obtained from a copy of a letter addressed to a gentleman residing in Africa, with whom he was anxious to enter into correspondence.

_London, Dec. 13th_, 1766.

SIR,

My being an utter stranger to you compels me to apologize for the liberty
I take in sending you this. Mr. Carghill's recommendation is the occasion
of my doing so, and he has assured me of your {viii}kind disposition to
oblige me in those articles that are the subject of the following lines;
I must therefore inform you that I am engaged in the study of Natural
History, but as the extensiveness of it in all its several parts is very
great, I confine myself entirely to one single branch, and that is
Insects. A branch I find fully sufficient to engage my attention without
entering into any of the others, and in consequence of this I am
endeavouring to obtain as large a collection of foreign ones as I
possibly can; to this end I am under a necessity of getting various
recommendations from my friends to gentlemen settled in foreign parts,
who I must consider as the only persons that can effectually assist me in
this scheme. Permit me therefore, Sir, to beg your concurrence herein,
and if the highest ideas of gratitude can prompt a man to make an
adequate return for any favour of this kind, be assured I shall take the
earliest opportunity of manifesting mine for any thing you shall think
proper to oblige me with. The great distance the continent of Africa is
situated from London, the ignorance we labour under of its produce in the
insect world, and the great difficulty I have found in procuring any
insects from those parts, are circumstances that rather increase than
blunt my desire for them; but as in the course of fourteen years I have
not been able to procure any great number, I can only attribute this
disappointment to my having never been able to apply to any gentleman
settled there, for the persons that I have hitherto commissioned to this
purpose were those that returned with the ships they went in, and I
imagine their time was too short to be able to procure such things for
me; but as Mr. Carghill has informed me your residence in Africa will
afford you many leisure hours, permit me to indulge the hope of your
complying with this request. It is necessary for me to inform you that
there is no occasion for your bestowing any time of your own in this
pursuit, as I imagine it might be done by people to be hired in Africa to
that purpose for a very trifle; and as it is necessary I should inform
you where and in what manner insects in general are to be taken, give me
leave therefore to explain the use of the things I have sent for that
purpose: you will observe the bows of the forceps being covered with
gauze, and folding so close together as to prevent any small insect's
getting out when once enclosed, constitutes a contrivance the best
adapted of any thing I ever saw for that purpose, it is small enough to
be carried in the pocket, and if you have curiosity enough to employ an
hour in this amusement, permit me to say you will have a scene of wonders
opened to you in the insect world, you will have such a number of objects
of speculation present themselves, that will amaze you. When an insect is
inclosed in these nets it is to be stuck through the body with a pin (I
have sent some for this purpose), and in that manner placed in the box,
whose top and bottom are lined with cork. Suffer me to beg of you (if you
will be so obliging to procure me some of those things) to get a larger
box made in Africa of soft wood, in which a pin will easily enter, and
replace the insects out of the oval box now sent into that, and when
filled I will entreat you to commit it to the care of a friend to be
conveyed to England, giving him at the same time a charge to keep it from
being tumbled about by the rolling of the ship, which will certainly
damage the contents, and favouring me with a letter of advice; it is
necessary to beg you to paste a slip of fine linen or paper all round the
crevice and opening of the box, to prevent the cockroaches, ants, &c.
getting in, who will infallibly damage and destroy the insects in it; I
forgot to mention that they should not be removed out of the oval box
into the great one till they are dead, because they will scratch and tear
one another to pieces, therefore when the person comes home from
collecting, they may be taken out singly and stuck on a piece of board or
stick, and held close to the fire (not so as to burn or scorch them), and
this in less than a minute will effectually kill them, afterwards they
may be stuck very close together in the large box, and in that manner
sent to England. I will just mention what kinds will be most acceptable,
and where they are to be found, viz. beetles or insects with hard cased
wings, insects with transparent wings, such as wasps, {ix}bees,
waterflies, also locusts or grasshoppers, ants, fireflies, or in short
any kind except cockroaches, centipedes, or scorpions, which in general
are so very common they cease to be valuable--of all the other kinds
there is an infinite variety, differing in size, shape, and colour, any
of which will be very acceptable, either large or small; and of which,
give me leave to observe, the most ugly disagreeable insects (as they
appear to be) are the most desirable. They are found in various places,
some on flowers, some in horse-dung or cow-dung, some under stones and
logs of wood, some under the bark of trees where it separates or divides
itself from the body, which by tearing up will expose many kinds to view;
but no place abounds more than rotten trees, for there they hide and
secrete themselves in holes among the rotten wood, and are never seen
unless they are searched for. Let me here observe, that the different
seasons will yield different species of insects, some being to be found
in one week that were not to be seen the preceding ones, and the next
will afford others differing from the former, while the succeeding one
shall produce some other sorts that were not to be seen before; so that
by searching for them at different times, you perceive great varieties
will be collected. I must also beg you to preserve the horns of them as
much as possible, as they in a great measure determine their genus, and
as such should not be broke off. The insects placed in the box will serve
as samples to show the person you may hire what kinds of things are meant
to be collected, who for want of them might not be able to understand
your instructions.

I have now, Sir, mentioned every article necessary to be known, therefore
shall conclude with once more begging you to assist me in this scheme;
and if there is any business, or any other thing, in which I can be
serviceable to you here, I beg you would command me; but if there is
nothing of that kind by which I can express my gratitude, permit me again
to repeat I shall take the first opportunity of making a return fully
adequate to your favour.

I am, Sir, with great respect, your most obedient servant,

D. DRURY,
At No. 1. in Love Lane, Aldermanbury,
London.

P. S. I forgot to mention that when you employ an agent to collect
insects, please to tell him it is not the great number but the variety
that I desire, six or eight being enough of any one species.

Subsequently, this fine collection came to the hammer, on Thursday, May 23, 1805, and the two following days. A few of the more interesting lots, with the prices obtained for them, and the names of the purchasers, are given below as an interesting record.

Lot 3 Phalæna Aprilina, Graminis, and 22 others 26 £7 12 0 G. Humphrey.
8 Sphinx Convolvuli, and 8 others 9 4 1 0 Donovan.
46 Papilio Priamus 1 4 14 6 General
Davies.
64 ---- Claviger, and 5 others 6 7 10 0 MacLeay.
69 A variety of curious Spiders, chiefly
from Georgia 110 4 4 0 Donovan.
90 Papilio Iris, Edusa, Hyale, and various 4 10 0 Humphrey.
94 Sixteen curious Curculiones 16 11 11 0 Ditto.
95 Scarabæus Goliathus, var. 1 12 1 6 Ditto.
100 Cerambyx Gigas, and 2 others 3 4 8 0 Haworth.
104 Thirteen Species of the Buprestis Genus 13 8 0 0 MacLeay.
105 Elater Flabellicornis, virens, and
8 others 10 4 6 0 Latham.
112 Cetonia hamata, nitens, grandis,
Scarabæus festivus, and 12 others 16 17 0 0 MacLeay.
123 A variety of small Insects of the
Mordella, Forficula, and other Genera,
among which are Diopsis ichneumonea
(and also a species ofPaussus) 31 7 0 0 Ditto.
201 Mutilla bimaculata, thoracica, Scolia
signata, and 24 others 27 3 5 0 Kirby.
269 Sphex tropica, frontalis, Africana, &c. 128 6 6 0 Ditto.

{x}The total amount obtained for the Insects was £614. 8_s._ 6_d._; and about £300. more for the Cabinets, Books, &c. with the Copper-plates of the Illustrations.

Of the estimation in which the works and collections of Drury were held by Linnæus, Fabricius, &c. the constant references (especially by the latter) made to them, will sufficiently prove. The former dedicated a fine species of Cimex to Drury, figured in the first volume of these Illustrations, pl. 42. f. 1. 5.; whilst the latter described an American species of Stenocorus from Drury's collection, under the name of St. Drurii (Ent. Syst. 1. 2. p. 302.) and also a Danish Tinea under the name of T. Drurella. The Rev. W. Kirby also in his Monograph upon the English Bees, has named a rare species belonging to the modern genus Eucera, Apis Drurella, with the remark--"In honorem D. Drury, operis entomologici splendidissimi auctoris, cujus museum insectorum rarissimorum undique conquisitorum gazophylacium ditissimum, hanc apem ab illo acceptam nominavi." (Mon. Ap. Angl. 2. p. 286.)

That Drury was in correspondence with these "Heroes Scientiæ" will therefore be unquestioned; and the following letter from the younger Linnæus, communicated to me by the relatives of the former is interesting not only on this account, but for the curious statement relative to the Oestrus humanus then recently discovered in South America.

Celeberrimo Viro D. Drury.

S. pl. d.

Carolus a Linne.

Dum post mortem dilectissimi parentis occupatus fui in redigendo
naturalia ab illo in Syst. Nat. nondum determinata, et ut his
nomenclaturam pro scientia naturali maxime necessariam continuarem,
maxime sollicitus fui illa, quantum mihi possibile foret, synonymis ex
præstantioribus auctoribus scientiæ illustrare, imprimis illorum qui
pulcherrimis individuorum figuris sint ornati. Tu, Vir Celeberrime, es ex
illis, qui in Insectis pulcherrima præstitisti; ex Tuo opere volumina
habeo duo, quæ in hereditario cum reliqua Bibliotheca[4] Parentis habeo;
sed an tertius termes s. plures post secundum prodiere est quod ignoro,
et de qua re rogarem tuam informationem? et si prodiere ubi inveniuntur?
et quo prætio? Amicitiam quam erga Parentem habuisti, spero hanc filiolo
permittere licentiam. Optandum esset a Te in his majorem videre
augmentum, requirunt insecta figuras; nam vix differentiis determinanda
sunt. Insecta australioris plaga mundi a Banksio et Forsteriis indagata,
pulcherrime et utilissime pro scientia methodo Tua illustrari possent.
Utinam facere vellis, immortalitatem Tuam conservaret scientia hæc!

{xi}Ego qui nunc novam paro editionem Zoologicam Syst. Nat.[5] summam in
insectis sentio difficultatem ita exprimere, ut aliis intelligas quod tam
facile figuris lævatur. Multa præstitit noster De Geer de Insectis, sed
majora adhuc præstitisset, si figuræ vivis coloribus ornatæ fuissent.
Quis Entomologus est alius apud vos qui collectionem Insectorum possidet
ex India occidentali, si quis esset qui desideraret insecta Suecica
lubenter Illi ea præstare vellem.

Nuper litteras habui ex America Meridionali ubi morbus endemius est
hominum etiam Europeos aggredit illuc venientes quæ causatur a larva
Oestri, quæ intra cutem per integrum annum coelatus et nullo remedio
expelli potest nisi periculo vitæ; est nova species Oestri.

Sed hic vale et mihi fave.

Dabam Upsaliæ, d. 10 Mart. 1780.

To Mr. D. Drury, Goldsmith in the Strand, in London.

My late friend A. H. Haworth, Esq. thus spoke of Drury and his works in the year 1807. "In the year 1770 we arrive at the time of publication of a beautiful work on Entomology, that of my late and regretted friend D. Drury, F.L.S. in one vol. 4to. printed at London, and containing comprehensive descriptions in English and French, with an Index of Linnæan names at the end, and a great many coloured copper-plates of such interesting exotic Insects, as had not been before or insufficiently figured. The icons were executed by Moses Harris, in his best style; and are far superior to any of their predecessors in Britain.

"It is also unquestionably the first work in this country in which the trivial names of Linnæus are suffered to make their appearance, and although only given in the shape of an index, their extensive value throws a lustre on the utility of the work, which, unaided by them, would not have reached a second volume, published in 1773, and a third in 1782; and even a fourth would have appeared if the author had lived much longer;[6] as he himself assured me, some time prior to his decease; wherein would have been delineated some of the gigantic and extraordinary insects of Demerara, in which remote territory he had successfully employed a collecting agent. Mr. Drury's Cabinet was one of the most extensive ever made; and is said to have contained, in species and varieties, the surprising number of 11,000 insects. He spared neither pains nor cost in getting them together, and like Petiver of old, sent printed instructions, in various languages, all over the world for that purpose, by captains of ships and others.

"Soon after his decease, at an advanced age, which happened about two years since, his valuable collection was disposed of in London, by public auction."--(Trans. Ent. Soc. Vol. I. 1807. p. 34.)

The decease of Mr. Dru Drury occurred on the 15th of January, 1804, at the age of eighty, and he was buried at the parish church of St. Martins in the Fields.

J. O. W.

{xii}MR. DRURY'S PREFACE

TO THE FIRST EDITION.

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VOL. I.

It is universally allowed that the study of nature is one of the most pleasing employments that can engage the mind of man. The entertainment it affords is as infinite as the variety of subjects of which it is composed; and such a vast field of speculation lies open to our view, either in the animal, vegetable, or mineral worlds, that each of them is fully sufficient to engross the attention of a single person. It must be allowed, that the study of natural history is so far from having attained that degree of perfection it might have done, by the assiduity of the curious, that it cannot, at present, be considered as having attained its meridian; and the slow manner in which it arrived even to that, has subjected us very much to the reflections of foreigners; many of whom appear surprised, that a nation, not inferior to others in every branch of science and knowledge, should discover so great a want of curiosity, and little attention to a study that has been productive of so many advantages to mankind, and probably, may hereafter produce many more. Certainly, such opportunities for improvement never presented themselves in this kingdom, as in the present age. All corners of the world are visited by our ships; the remotest shores of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, are not unknown to our countrymen; but feel the effects of that insatiable thirst for traffic and gain, that animates the present generation. Every lover, therefore, of this study must naturally hope, that such noble occasions of increasing the knowledge of nature, may not be neglected. It is indeed true, that the number of its votaries, in England, are but few, in proportion to other states, where professorships and societies are established under the patronage and protection of the chief personages: yet if we consider it as affording an inconceivable fund of entertainment to its followers, it is rather to be wondered it is not more encouraged and propagated among us, than that we should find a few who have resolution enough to judge for themselves, and follow a study that is always new and always pleasing. The sneers and contempt thrown on it by men of narrow minds, who are impatient at hearing of persons bestowing their time in collecting a plant, an insect, or a stone, may perhaps contribute {xiii}not a little to prevent its progress; but whatever character may be stamped, either upon the study, or its professors, by such persons; it is certain, none but men fit to be placed in the first rank, have usually philosophy enough to prompt them to make enquiries into the works of nature. To some the task appears too arduous, to others too intricate, and to the generality too trifling; who are apt to look with contempt on every pursuit that does not coincide with their own opinions; nor must we, from vulgar minds, expect any conclusions in its favour: with these, a horse, a dog, or a cock, seem to bound the utmost limits of their gratifications. But men of refined tastes will judge otherways. They know that the inexhaustible store of entertainment nature affords in the contemplation of her works, is unbounded. It is not to be enjoyed all at once; the more we pursue, the more we shall possess, in proportion as we manifest a greater or less ardour. Nor is the serene placid enjoyment found therein, to be measured by the common gratifications of sense; as these often leave stings behind that worry the soul, and subvert the end they intended to promote; while the other offers to us its friendly aid, replete with happiness, health, and peace. And further, if the contemplation of the works of the Sovereign Architect, tends to promote that serious and attentive state of mind which disposes men to the pursuit of virtue, in order to be happy; and if the knowledge and practice of virtue are the means of supporting the mind through all the difficult passages and rugged paths of life; the naturalist bids as fair to be happy as any of the human race. His pleasures are not chequered by remorse, or damped by despair; his pursuits leave no horrors on the mind, or clash with the duty he owes his Maker, his neighbour, or his prince; his conscience suffers not for the indulgence of his mind, nor has repentance need to stalk behind him with an uplifted arm, for injustice committed on his fellow-creatures; on the contrary, it is for them ultimately his labours are pursued, for them he inquires into the various arcana of nature; every part of the earth is searched for their benefit, and its bowels are torn out and examined for their advantage.

On the other hand, if we consider natural history as connected with religion, we shall find them so interwoven and blended together as not to be separated. In this view we shall find it the best adapted for opening the mind, enlarging its conceptions, and giving us the most exalted ideas of the Deity, of any science whatever, astronomy not excepted, whose study, however noble it may be thought, tends not more to the same improvement; for certainly the power, wisdom, and goodness of the Almighty are as conspicuous in the smallest objects, as those of the first magnitude, if _great_ and _little_ be only relative terms. If, therefore, natural history is able to accomplish this, nothing surely can afford a more effectual cure for infidelity. For whoever heard of a naturalist being an atheist? or of an infidel, who had spent his life in studying and observing the works of nature? I believe none will hesitate to pronounce the man, who has made any considerable progress in this study, and who could entertain thoughts so injurious to the honour of his Maker, to be a more wonderful being than any that ever went before him.

{xiv}The train of reflections that arise from these considerations, is greater than is consistent with the plan I have prescribed to myself in these pages. If the reader is desirous of being further informed of the uses and advantages of natural history, I shall refer him to Stillingfleet's Tracts, taken from the Amoenitates Academicæ, published at Upsal; where he may be acquainted with many curious and interesting particulars, which I have not room to insert here; my speculations having been confined to one single branch (insects) I shall only mention such observations relative thereto as may be proper for an introduction of this kind.

Insects may, with great truth, be considered as a rank of beings so wonderful and extraordinary, as to strike with astonishment every observer, if we regard either their structure, powers, or use; and creatures, who, at the same time that they challenge our regard, loudly proclaim the wisdom, goodness, and omnipotence of their great Creator. If their shape and beauty are capable of attracting our notice, their ways of living are no less adapted for exciting our admiration; and the more we enquire into their nature and history, the more occasion we shall find for confessing this great truth, "nothing is created in vain." The wondrous manner in which numbers of them pass their lives, during their first states, is unknown to the greater part of mankind. Most people, indeed, know that a Caterpillar produces a Butterfly; but thousands of persons do not know that a Caterpillar is a Butterfly in disguise, as Dr. Lister ingeniously observes,[7] and as Swammerdam[8] proved to the great Duke of Tuscany, by stripping off the external skins, and displaying the butterfly concealed beneath them. Many persons are ignorant that plants (even of the most poisonous nature) are the beloved and favourite food of some species of insects, and that what is wholesome and nourishing to one, is pernicious and destructive to another. Who would believe that the hard substance of the soundest Oak was capable of being macerated by an insect, and received into its stomach as food? that it should there yield a proper nutriment for its growth, and that nothing but a substance as hard and firm as that could possibly contribute to the creature's health and increase? Who would imagine that a colony of Ants, an insect so contemptible in size, considered singly, were capable of making animals, of considerable bulk and strength, retreat from them as from a formidable enemy?[9] Who would suspect that numbers of insects are appointed to live, during the greatest part of their lives, within the bodies of other animals, many of whom receive no material injury thereby; some become frantic and {xv}diseased, and others are doomed to perish, and by their deaths give birth to these their inbred enemies? Who, that is a stranger to natural history, would believe that there are insects destined to live in the waters many months, where their principal employment is the destruction of animals less than themselves, on whom they feed and thrive, till they become inhabitants of the air, when their lives are terminated in a few weeks, perishing by the depredations of old age, if they are lucky enough to escape the power of other animals stronger than themselves? Yet such are the truths existing in nature; truths known to every one conversant with this study. In short, there is no part of the kingdom of nature, where so many wonders are unfolded to us, as in this of insects.

Nor are they to be considered in that contemptible light in which the generality of mankind are apt to place them. We are too prone to think every thing noxious and unnecessary, if we are not fully acquainted with its use. "The poor Beetle that we tread on," serves to fill up an order of beings, as useful and proper in the economy of nature, as that of a partridge or a hare, whose preservation and increase we are so solicitous for. Many others, whose very sight create the most disagreeable sensations, are not less useful and proper, under the same predicament. The carcases of dead animals, which, when putrid, send forth a most nauseous stench, would remain so for a great length of time, were it not for the various kinds of Flesh Flies, who, by depositing their eggs there, help to consume it very quickly, and prevent a continuance so offensive to our nostrils and health. Many kinds of insects are to be found here in England, in great plenty, who, it is highly probable, by a close enquiry into their natures might be rendered very serviceable to us, either mediately or immediately. The blue Dung Beetle (Scarabæus Stercorarius of Linnæus) found in great plenty in July, under horse-dung and cow-dung, it is not unlikely may yield effects, either in medicine or dyeing, that at present we are ignorant of. It is certain, it abounds with salts that are strong and pungent; but the examination of them must be left to time, and the enquiry of some ingenious person.

The Meloe Proscarebeus of Linnæus, or English Oil Beetle, described by Moffat, lib. i. cap. 23., also by Godartius in Lister's translation, number 120. yields an oil by expression in considerable quantity, which is used in Sweden, with the greatest success, in the cure of the rheumatism, by bathing the afflicted part. Of this I have been well assured by an ingenious physician who resided there. Might not the same effects be expected from it here as there? Its virtues, I imagine, are not confined to a single country; nor can I suppose the different situations of them will prevent its being equally efficacious here as in Sweden. However, it is certainly worth while to make the experiment.[10]

{xvi}The Cantharides or Spanish Flies, is a species of insect every one has heard of. They are brought us from abroad, and used medicinally; but principally to raise blisters. For these we pay great sums of money to foreign countries: but a proper examination into the nature of insects might save us the necessity of doing so; for let me not be disbelieved, when I say this very species of the cantharides is found in England.[11] Might not, therefore, a close inquiry into the subject, spare us the trouble and expense of applying to foreigners for this article? But are the medicinal virtues of the cantharides confined entirely to that species? Is there none other found in England, answering the same purpose, which we might have by seeking for? If I am not mis-informed, there is. The Musk Beetle, or Cerambix Moschata of Linnæus, is found on the bodies of willow-trees in the month of July, or sooner, if the weather is favourable. This insect, I have been confidently informed by an eminent surgeon (the late Mr. Guy) who tried it, has the same virtues, and produces the same effects as the cantharides; being capable, when properly prepared, of procuring a strong blister in as short a space of time as the other. Whether there is not other insects to be found in this kingdom, whose properties, when examined, might be found similar to the cantharides, is a matter that time only will clear up.

I cannot here pass unmentioned the effects of ants, whose volatile effluvia, arising from their colonies or nests is so great, that a hand rubbed thereon, and applied immediately to the nose of a fainting person, exhilarates and refreshes equal to the spirit of hartshorn, or what is called sal volatile.

Such are the known medicinal uses of insects; and under the article of clothing they serve us in a more conspicuous manner. To many thousands of persons they afford the means of living with comfort and happiness. Even kings are indebted to them for their grandest garments. Immense fortunes have been procured, by their means, to persons in trade, and the great number of people who daily subsist by manufacturing silk, either by spinning, weaving, or dyeing it, have the greatest reason to thank Providence for the institution of this insect. To the last, the Cochineal (Coccinella Cacti of Linnæus) affords him the power of giving our silks and cloths the most beautiful and lasting colours; being without it unable to produce such proofs of his ingenuity; not to mention many other occasions wherein this insect is peculiarly serviceable. Nor is there any part of the world where they do not directly, or secondarily, serve mankind for food. In every kingdom of the earth, where they are to be found, shrimps, prawns and crabs are eaten by all ranks and degrees of people, if animal food is allowed them; and our cray-fish or lobsters must not {xvii}be excluded from the same order. The Locust represented in Plate 50. Fig. 2. is eaten by many tribes, and, I may say, nations of people, in Asia and Africa. These animals are frequently driven from their native soils, by strong winds, into foreign countries, where, for several days together, by their inconceivable numbers, they obscure the light of the sun, and make the inhabitants tremble for their vegetables. It is at those times the Asiatics and Africans gather them, and eat them with much delight, dressing them, either by stewing, or frying them with oil; they also pickle and sell them publicly in some of the markets of the Levant, and many other parts.

The caterpillar belonging to Fig. 1. of Plate 38. which I have mentioned in my description of that insect to be eaten in the West Indies, and considered as a dainty, is sought for by those persons who are admirers of that food, in the most diligent manner; and I have been informed, by gentlemen of undoubted veracity, that so exceedingly delighted are they with it, as to employ negroes on no other business but to go into the woods on purpose to procure these caterpillars, by digging them out of the bodies of certain trees, the only places where they are to be found. Perhaps the cossi of the Romans, a kind of food we are told they were much delighted with, might be a species not much unlike this; however that be, these are considered as amply recompensing, by their delicious flavour, the pains taken to procure them.

Honey is a substance known to every one, and the agreeable liquor made from it, which in some countries serves the inhabitants for their constant drink, is not to be procured but by the industry of the agile bee.

In fine, the limits of this preface will not permit me to dwell minutely, and point out the benefits mankind does, and may receive, by the institution of this order of animals. I shall again refer my reader to the book I mentioned before, "Stillingfleet's Tracts;" where he will find these and many other advantages I have not mentioned, treated of in a most ingenious manner; being the observations of some of the greatest men of the university of Upsal in Sweden; for this reason, therefore, I shall consider this subject no farther, but proceed to describe the plan of the work; wherein, if the reader expects to find the insects classed in systematic order, as well as represented, he will be greatly disappointed. It is not my present design to enter into the scientific part of the study, by arranging the insects according to any system now established; nor will the reader find that I have given a single name to any one here figured. This, indeed, must be the consequence of not following the system of any author, unless I had formed one of my own; for it is impossible I should give names to them, particularly trivial ones, without doing one or the other. The calling an insect by the general appellation of moth, butterfly, &c. I cannot consider as derogatory to what I have said. Hence I flatter myself I shall avoid all occasion for reflection by the disciples of different authors, in not following the method established by others; and, therefore, my desire of giving no room for exceptions of this kind, has induced me to follow no one whatever. By this, also, I have left it in the power of every person to {xviii}class them according to his own fancy; and, as every one has thus an opportunity of following his favourite author, none, I hope, will object to a method, that will put it in his power of indulging his own inclination.

I must here inform my readers, that this work can by no means be considered as a complete one. The most transitory view will confirm this. Nor can I take any merit to myself by its publication, unless the great care that has been taken to give just and accurate figures of the subjects, in which the different generical characters, according to the several authors I am acquainted with, are truly represented, will entitle me to any.

Indeed, the many opportunities I have had of observing the great tendency all kinds of insects have to perish and decay, particularly moths and butterflies, first gave me the hint of preserving them from oblivion, by thus delineating them on paper. For these last are of such tender and delicate natures, that however pleasing and agreeable they may be to our sight, they are not easily to be preserved with all their gay and striking plumage. Our utmost care can only secure them to us a few years; and if they are exposed to air or sunshine, we are quickly robbed of them; the latter being capable, in a few months, of entirely destroying their colours, and the first in as short a space, will totally consume every part of them, leaving nothing behind but a little dust.

Hence it is, I have been induced to give figures of foreign insects. In prosecuting which, the reader will find many that have never been described by any author; and if the rescuing them by this method from the ravages of time, if the delight and amusement arising from contemplating subjects of this kind, or if an attempt to promote and encourage this branch of natural history meets with the encouragement I hope for, I must assure the public, no labour on my side shall be wanting to render it complete, by adding future volumes, as the subjects I should receive from abroad, and my own leisure, will enable me to do; and this, I flatter myself, I shall be able to accomplish by the means of a few ingenious gentlemen situated in different parts of the world, whose correspondence I am honoured with, and by whose assistance I shall be able to give sometimes a tolerable history of an insect, or as much of it as has fallen within their observation; by which means, new subjects of speculation, some unnoticed circumstances in insect life, may arise, that cannot fail of being an acceptable embellishment. But I must observe, such pieces of information cannot be expected to be numerous; for the difficulty of procuring the natural history of foreign insects is so exceedingly great, that it is better conceived than described. Few persons, who visit foreign countries, have curiosity sufficient to prompt them to make such observations, or indeed any enquiry, into the works of nature. The desire of acquiring wealth, by the means of trade, is the grand motive that induces them to leave their native country; observations in natural history being generally quite foreign to their thoughts; the desire of extending their commerce, and making their fortunes, taking entire possession of their minds, and swallowing up every other consideration. Thus, we see, it is not from such persons we must expect any improvements tending to promote this study; it is {xix}only from men of a liberal and ingenious turn of mind, settled there, that we can hope to have any information of the state of nature in distant regions; and the scarcity of such men I have found to be exceeding great. For these reasons the reader must not expect to find the caterpillar and chrysalis of every insect represented. It is sufficient if I am able to give figures of many exotics that have hitherto been unknown. The natural history, the forms of the caterpillars, ways of life, haunts, &c. can, in such cases, be known only to persons living on the spot, and who have speculation enough to observe them. Whenever I receive such pieces of information, they shall, certainly, not be withheld from the public.