Drury, Dru (1725-1804)

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Dru Drury (February 4, 1725 – January 15, 1804) was a British entomologist, one of the foremost of his time.

He was born in Wood Lane, London. His father was a silversmith, and Dru took over the business in 1748. He retired as a silversmith in 1789 to devote his time entirely to entomology. Drury had a keen interest in entomology already, and was the president of the Society of Entomologists of London from 1780 to 1782. He died in Turnham Green and was buried at St. Martin-in-the-Fields.

From 1770 to 1787, he published the three-volume Illustrations of Natural History, wherein are exhibited upwards of 240 figures of Exotic Insects, which was later revised and republished under the title Illustrations of Exotic Entomology in 1837.

Drury was also a prolific collector—his collection comprised over 11,000 specimens.

PUBLICATIONS

 * Drury, D. 1773. Illustrations of natural history. Wherein are exhibited upwards of two hundred and twenty figures of exotic insects, according to their different genera. Vol. 2. London: B. White, vii + 90 pp.


 * Drury, D. 1782. Illustrations of natural history. Wherein are exhibited upwards of two hundred figures of exotic insects. Vol. 3. London: B. White, xxvi + 76 pp.

REFERENCE

 * Salmon, M.S. 2000. The Aurelian Legacy. 432pp. 114-115, portrait.