It is not surprising that when Henry Noel Humphreys began to study “the profusion and variety of insect life” while living in Italy; his artist’s eye was drawn particularly to the “glittering butterflies.” Upon returning to England, his research into Lepidoptera revealed the need for a comprehensive book on British butterflies and moths. He undertook this work himself, illustrating the larva, pupa and adult of each species and collaborating with J. O. Westwood, professor of zoology at Oxford, who wrote the text.

In the preface to his book, Humphreys has this to say about the study of entomology:

In this place it is usual to put forth some argument in favour of the study of such subjects as the book treats of, but it seems scarcely necessary to urge anything in favour of the delightful study of entomology. The great beauty of many tribes of insects, their wonderful and minute organization, their extraordinary metamorphoses, and the links they add to the chain of created beings, appear to form an all-sufficient attraction.