ABSTRACT
Although world famous for his detailed studies of insect habits and life histories, Fabre (fahbre) did not attain stature as a field entomologist until late in his life, his earlier years being spent under great difficulty and comparative poverty. Described by DARWIN, with whom he corresponded, as “an inimitable observer,” Fabre’s best-known entomological observations were largely made in his native Provence and the Rhône valley. His enthusiasm for his subject had been stimulated by reading an essay on the habits of the Cerceris wasp, which prompted Fabre to make his own detailed observations of these and other parasitic wasps, as well as many other insect groups. His descriptions of their development and behavior, written in a clear simple style, still stand as models of accurate observation. Fabre’s earliest entomological observations appeared in Annales des sciences naturelles (Annals of the Natural Sciences), but his major publication is the classic Souvenirs entomologiques (10 vols. 1879-1907; Entomological Recollections).
