Alexander Henry Haliday

“ The National library is I may say of no use as to the Nat. Hist. Department. It does not contain even the Transactions of the Naples Academy, those of the Aspromonte Naturalist, nor the Catania Academy. ”

“ I think I have now a third genus to refer to the little group of which Asteia is the type , independent of ---- which, I believe, is referable rather to it than to Agromyzini. I have no answer from Rondani, therefore will not wait further, but dispatch this, and await your pleasure as to my communication with Bellardi and Bigot . I suppose I possess both the two Italian species of _______ which __ as I took specimens, larger than those of the Val di Lucca, at a considerable elevation in the Val Lys of the Pennine Alps – in fact very close to the great Glacier, which is the feeder of the Lys. ”

“ Lucca. July — 22nd My Dear Dr Loew Since I wrote to you last, I had a few lines from Rondani, to excuse himself as occupied in preparing for the examinations, and putting off all about the Ortalidae till next month. In answer to my questions about Bellardi , he says it is not easy to have his insects for use. He has obtained the use of Bellardi’s specimens in that family, but with such precautions against any loss, that he was much disposed not to avail himself of the permission. ”

“ It is not improbable I may go further, but alone, in to Catania, to take more certain information on the ____ as to the projected visit to Sicily, as to Dr Wright, which he proposes should he be about the end of August; I fear, not only an ineligible...... Continuation of letter for my collecting plan at least, for this I would not regard to much but a _____ one for the parts of the island especially most attractive to him in pursuit of birds, - ______ about Catania and Syracuse. My proceeding on now will depend chiefly on what I have from him on my arrival at Naples. ”

“ Collecting, as you may suppose, is pretty well over; only the last week of November and the ___ suceeding, brought out Rondani’s Chetostoma curvinerve, __ ______ males (a Trypeta with marbled wings) ; the females are almost unattainable from their habits on apterous, I suppose, _____ them security; though no grovelling on the earth and poking at roots of heath has rewarded me with one. ”

“ Italy July 10, 1868 We did not penetrate into the interior of the island, in fact the month devoted to it did not suffice to carry us the full length of the Eastern side alone, and the visit to Lake Fanaco was left to me to accomplish alone after Dr Wright had sailed for Malta homeward bound. The excursion of our travel to Algeria of which he had entertained the notion was soon dismissed The lack of time alone would have been fatal to it ”

“ The extent of it will depend, a good deal, on what success I receive to my request for communications from C. J. Thomson, as Sweden is a sort of metropolis for some of the genera. If this fails me, I must limit myself to the species of Western and Southern Europe. Sichel , Reinhard Vollenhoven [Samuel Constantinus Snellen van Vollenhoven] have most kindly placed their collections (some of them marked) at my disposal for the object. I am afraid I shall not have as ready or considerable aid from my Italian Hymenopterists. ”

“ I hope before winter to have a paper ready on __ _____ as a revision of the nomenclature of the late M. Heer’s [Oswald Heer] valuable essays in the Vienna Academy Proceedings, and to find some conspicuous species to be honoured with his name; the motives nil ________; for the living, they may establish for themselves titles more humble than the paternity, on con___ of a name, specific or generic. ”

“ After what they suffered by the unexampled severity of the preceding winter, I was not surprised that the surviving plants matured only one blossom this year. Wollaston , who is just about to be married, and then to start with his bride for another writers sojourn in his dear Madeira, tells me he and Mr Lowe , in this last visit to the Cape Verde islands, planted several species of the genus, which they had brought out from the new Botanic Garden, on ____ islets of that group ”