Horned Beetles A Study of the Fantastic in Nature

About this book

Re-issue of this 1951 publication.

From the foreword:
"Gilbert John Arrow was born near London in 1873 and in his 23rd year joined the staff of the British Museum (Natural History) as an entomologist.

The whole of his long life was devoted to the study of beetles and particularly to the great group of Lamellicornia to which most of the ‘Horned Beetles’ referred to in this, his last work, belong. As long ago as 1899 Arrow wrote on the remarkable sexual dimorphism of some members of this group, a subject to which he constantly returned during his extensive studies of the extraordinary insects which had so captured his interest. The reason and purpose behind the amazing development of ‘horns’ in many male Lamellicorns and other beetles, and their extreme variability has long baffled biologists, including the great Darwin himself! Thus the mature thoughts on this subject of a man who devoted the whole of a long life to its study are of special significance and are well summarized in the present little book on ‘Horned Beetles’.

Not only does this work provide an unusual topic for the general reader and a challenge to the field naturalist but it is important to the serious student of coleopterology. To make it more acceptable to the last, without detracting from its appeal to others, a scientific index has been added, indicating the authorities, synonymy etc. of the scientific names appearing in the text. To have added this information as footnotes would have been burdensome for the layman. An authors’ index, subject index and selected bibliography have also been added, but otherwise, with the exception of a few minor alterations, the text of ‘Horned Beetles’ has been left as it was at the death of its author, on October 5th. 1948.

Many younger coleopterists have cause to remember the kindness, practical help and encouragement which Arrow gave them, amongst their number the present writer, who has before him as he writes a thick file of Arrow’s letters testifying to his crisp humour, sound advice and ready help over a period of many years. In saying ‘Vale’ to such an old friend it is a privilege to be able to do something, even so little, to introduce his last work on ‘Horned Beetles’."

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