And pride may enter in to it too. I've long since ceased
to collect in this country. I catch things to identify
them, but I let them go. That's why I like to go abroad to
catch things, where there are plenty to take. You see,
insects are so much more common than mammals and birds.
In fact, many insects which are supposedly rare, are not
so because of their habits, times of appearance, the fact
that they may be in dense jungle, and so on. But I still
think it is very wrong to take masses and masses of any
species.
W.R.M. Do you indulge in hero worship? Who are your
heroes in the field of natural history?
E.F.W. I think my principle hero is John Ray, I think
he was a splendid chap. I think, for a man, the son of a
village blacksmith, in the 17th century, to do what he did, is
to my mind, absolutely extraordinary. I suppose most of us
know his story, but, for such a boy with such a background,
what he did is almost inconceivable, And he's my great hero.
W.R.M. What is his biggest, single contribution, do
you think?
E.F.W. Entomologically, I would say that his biggest
contribution was the fact that he knew the difference and
was the first to see it, between the two-winged flies, the
Diptera, and the four-winged flies, the Hymenoptera. There
was nothing to help him, — it's easy when you are told, but
he did it, But he was a master in so many fields, —- birds,
insects and so on. He was a master of the written word; he
was a priest of the Church of England; he lost his living
because of his faith, which was no mean thing for a man who
had nothing to fall back on. The Act of Uniformity, I think
it was, All his life he had bad health and lived in pretty
miserable surroundings. And yet, he knew some of the most
important people in the land, and was on terms of close
friendship with them. He was a remarkable man.
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