320
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
felt the need for some time to examine a number of Continental
specimens, as it was obvious that there was no uniformity in
nomenclature, and a great deal of confusion of names between
British and Continental insects was occurring. His Paris visit
was undoubtedly the most important step he took in his career,
as it led to the undertaking of what may be described as his most
important contribution to science, the compiling of his Synonymic
List.
Again, we know little of his visit to Paris; it was reputed that
throughout his life he kept a diary but although friends, including
Miller-Christy, searched for it after his death in 1875, no trace of
it was found. We must, therefore, draw upon our imagination to
a great extent when we try to picture this modest country shop-
keeper, from a quiet country town, visiting the French capital
with all its gaiety and bustle. We must be glad that Doubleday
seized this opportunity, as between 1846 and 1873 it is said that
he slept away from home only twice; and this was the only time
he left his native country. He had little time when in Paris for
other interests, as he was away for 12 days only—he left on July
21st and returned on August 2nd, 1843, and a considerable time
must have been taken in travelling. He took many specimens
with him, both as gifts and for comparison, and even managed to
find time to undertake some collecting in the neighbourhood of
Paris.
Upon his return he quickly applied himself to compile a
standard list giving names of butterflies and moths internationally
acceptable. The first edition of his The Synonymic List of British
Lepidoptera was published in instalments at intervals between
1847 and 1850, and it immediately received great praise from
entomologists everywhere.
The generic and specific names were given by Doubleday, and
these were decided by clearing away a mass of errors, and by
actual examination and comparison with authentic specimens,
of which many thousands must have passed through his hands.
Newman said:
"It frequently happens that when a work has long been
talked of it disappoints us at last: in the present instance,
the reverse is the case. Nothing can be more carefully
compiled than the list before me, nothing more completely
adapted to the purpose for which it was intended".
The first part of the first edition was published in October 1847
and the last part in December 1849. Ten years later a second and
more complete edition appeared, and further supplements were
issued in 1866 and lastly in 1873. It would probably be true to
say that the completion of Doubleday's List almost marked the
end of an epoch in British entomology.
Many of his rarest captures were obtained by "sugaring" and
in this method of attracting moths he showed remarkable per-
sistence ; we can imagine him, after shutting up, and extinguishing
the oil lamps in his shop, preparing to set out for the forest with