Alexander Henry Haliday

“ Of Italy, which is occupying a great portion of my time at present, sending circulars out, writing letters etc. In the course of this month I hope it will be formally and legally constituted and before I start for next summer's visit (if it takes place) to Sicily, I may see the first part of the journal out. How long it may be live is another consideration. The existing scientific journals of Italy lead but a languishing life;—and the heads of the young are full of politics (to little good in many cases) , and to the sacrifice of literary & scientific studies. ”

“ The journal is intended to be devoted to the Italian Fauna, not including notices of the species of western & southern Europe which may be looked for here—I am afraid however, from what you say of your engagements, that I must not hope for much until your intended retirement from official duty takes place. I hope the severity of the winter has not been unfavourable to your health—Here it has been productive of numberless cases of catarrh & bronchitis—from which I myself have escaped nearly free. ”

“ Happily the barbarism dies a natural death, as I was able to assure myself, by comparison with the typical specimen (N. American) in British Museum, that it is identical with Metapelma (Westwood) . I see you have characterized a second species of Attica, from the Salterns of ____ imagine it is the species (the only one of the genus) which occurs here,—and which I met with twenty years since in the Salterns of Lymmington, (works in existence since the times of Roman dominion in England) along with A. pygmaea, but easily distinguishable by its much more dusky colours. ”

“ Indeed the only species of interest, I can particularize as the fruit of this excursion, was Rhynchites ruber, a single specimen. The few remaining cork trees of Follonica seemed to be peopled only by the usual Cynipidae of other species of Quercus . In the sands of the coast I found what will be a new genus next to Astaeia, of which it has the neuration of wing; but this I had found before nearer home. Cyrtosia did not occur. I should probably have done better, had I made this visit, to the Maremma, the beginning of May ”