Exhibit 23.1


                         Consent of Independent Auditors


We consent to the  incorporation  by reference in this Annual Report (Form 10-K)
of Littelfuse,  Inc. of our report dated January 23, 1998,  included in the 1997
annual Report to Stockholders of Littelfuse, Inc.

Our audit also included the financial  statement  schedule of  Littelfuse,  Inc.
listed in Item 14(a).  This  schedule  is the  responsibility  of the  Company's
management.  Our responsibility is to express an opinion based on our audits. In
our opinion, the financial statement schedule referred to above, when considered
in relation to the basic financial  statements taken as a whole,  present fairly
in all material respects the information set forth therein.

We also consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements
(No.  33-55943,  33-64442,  33-95020,  and  333-03260) on Form S-8 of our report
dated January 23, 1998, with respect to the  consolidated  financial  statements
incorporated  herein by  reference,  and our report  included  in the  preceding
paragraph  with respect to the  financial  statement  schedule  included in this
Annual Report (Form 10-K) of Littelfuse, Inc.



Chicago, Illinois
March 24, 1998

                                                        /S/  Ernst & Young LLP