Fabre, Jean Henri

Fabre, Jean Henri (zhäN äNrē` fä`brə), 1823–1915, French entomologist and author. He is known for his observations on insects and his study of their behavior. Fabre demonstrated the importance of instinct among insects. He taught until 1870 at Carpentras, Ajaccio, and Avignon, wrote works on popular science at Orange (1870–79), then retired to nearby Sérignan, where he devoted himself to entomological studies. Fabre worked almost exclusively from nature, and his exquisite literary style brought him as much renown as his observations. His principal work is Souvenirs entomologiques (10 vol., 1879–1907); English translations of selections from this work include The Life of the Spider (1912), The Marvels of the Insect World (1938), and The Insect World of J. Henri Fabre (ed. with commentary and biographical notes by E. W. Teale, 1949).

Bibliography

See studies on Fabre by Augustin Fabre (tr., 2d ed. 1921), P. F. Bicknell (1923), and G. V. Legros (1971).