Alexander Henry Haliday

“ There is no sign of lack of material, as long as the text is printed in such a loose manner, and I willingly cede the place, reserving my miscellaneous notes to fill up gaps in future possible exigencies;—the autumn parts are usually the ones that requireprovision beforehand to be made, as summer puts vagrant dispositions into many minds, and disinclines one for indoorw ork. ”

“ It is true that G. O. Costa enumerates it among the Neapolitan species; but then he had only Meigen to go by,— whose rotundiventris is a mixed species—and in the Museum at Naples I found only “femorata” 3 specimens= femoralis and “gagates” = libralis. We have a proverb in England “What is sauce for goose is sauce for gander”, and, not meaning that either Rossi or Meigen is “goose”, I do not see why the same circumstance (a mixture) should set aside Rossi’s name (if otherwise applicable) —and not Meigen’s. ”

“ I was at Florence for above a week but with little effect as to the Society or any scientific objects as I was escorting two ladies- cousins of mine—one of whom I am about to accompany to Rome and as she speaks no Italian and has travelled little abroad and never in this country my services are in constant requisition & I have to resign for the time all other objects. Also Stefonelli was ill, Piccioli occupied by the dangerous illness of his wife & Targioni on the point of setting out for Sardinia so that no conference was possible. ”

“ But he sees very clearly that others are too fond of bringing in new names:—and so I suppose it is with us all more or less, judged by others. I shall have very quickly to make up my mind as to how I shall treat a name of Spinola’s Mesitius :—if to be detached at all from Ephyris, the group should bear that name by strict right of priority, while it is a name that has been tacitly forgotten, and there is choice of others e.g. ”

“ I am sorry that I am not within 200 chilometers [sic] of Berlin, and at the same side of the Alps, as the visit would doubtless reward me richly—but I could not well transport with me, even if I thought the advantage worth such a journey, the precious things confided to me of the Stockholm and Turin Museums, as well as the several private collections. So I must make out my West of Europe list with the aids I have, and leave the Berlin stores to others ”

“ There we remained a little more than a week,—and I had little time for scientific company, though I was fortunate in finding Mr Bigot in town this time,—and also made acquaintance with Mr Goureau , and looked over the microhymenopterous parts of his collection of insects reared, & their parasites, with much interest. A meeting of the Entomological Society took place the evg of the day on which we left Paris. ”