George Lewis

LEWIS, George (1839 to1926) was born in Blackheath, and from childhood he became interested in insects. At the age of 23 he was sent to China as the representative of a tea trading company. From China, Lewis traveled to Japan in 1867,and may have remained there until 1872, "having accumulated a wonderful collection ... most of which was new to science." He then returned to England, but made a second trip to Japan in 1880 with his wife. Out of these trips a remarkable collection was accumulated which contained types of such a large proportion of the known species of Japanese beetles that they would probably never be equalled. Having settled in England, after 1882, Lewis published many descriptions of new species. Between 1884 and 1915, Lewis published 60 genera and 750 species of hysterides, which collections he bequeathed to NHM.