RK-037

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Robt. W. Kennicott. My Dear Sir: - Being engaged at present in putting together my Report on injurious insects, I have only time to make a brief acknowledgement of the receipt of several very welcome favors from you, since I wrote to you before. The box sent by Express, I received in Albany a few weeks ago, but have not had the time to look paticularly at its contents until within a few days past. The rattle-snake produced quite a sensation in this vicinity - especially among the little folks. When I first opened the box I transferred him to other quarters, and awoke him. Since then he has remained torpid, in his cage, in a cold room - and one night has been so cold that I know not but vitality has been extinguished, though I hope not. He is such a "rara avis" in this quarter of the country, and so easily kept, that I shall let him live, if he will do so, until he becomes grayheaded. I am quite ignorant of the treatment he requires - how often he should be watered and fed and washed and combed and brushed. Pray let me know what attention and manipulation he requires, if any, to insure his health, happiness and longevity. A muscrat which I killed a few days ago, furnished my cabinet with six new species of ticks and lice, and I wonder if the hide of his snakeship may not occasionally yield me a few parasites? I have just taken the butterflies from their paper envelopes, and it has cost me nearly two days labor to relax their wings and spread and pin them, and have thus made a number of fair cabinet specimens from them, though the antennae and legs of several got broken off in removing them from the envelopes. The beetles in the vial of spirits, being safe & secure from injury must await a more leisure time for examination. Several of the pinned specimens in the box were considerably broken, some of the needles having got loose. Three of the numbers also had got off from the needles, and I know not to which specimens they belong. I prefer common pins, to needles, for piercing the specimens, as the latter in a few years become so badly rusted as to break in two - and having no heads they cannot be handled, except with pincers. Many of the specimens I receive from Europe are impaled on short pins; so it is not so heterodox to use common pins for this business as I formerly supposed it was,

Last edit 8 months ago by The Grove National Historic Landmark
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I inclose you herewith a few Entomological Pins; and if I can learn from any of my correspondents where such pins are to be had in this country, will inform you, so that by sending P.O. stamps, you may by mail or by express obtain a supply - they are so much more nice for this work, than common pins, or needles. I have not time at present to examine the numbered insects with sufficient care to give you their names, but will do so hereafter, when I get leisure to study them out. Several of the Lepidoptera, however, which I recognize, I may name for you at once. No. 293 appears to be a variety of Papilio Asterias, Fab. 290 Terias Lisa, Boisduval - a male. 288 Terias Nicippe Fab. male. The female is a duller colored & paler, & ten times as rare as 287 & 286, five var-[illegible] the male-ieties of Colias caesoniae Stoll. This species varies to greater extremes even than in these specimens, some Mexican specimens having the tips of the wings attenuated and falcate. In bright colored specimens, what an exact resemblence to the profile of a dog's head the yellow color on the fore wings forms! - with the black dot representing the eye. It ought to be called the dog's head butterfly. 285 Colias Philodice Godart. 284 Colias Edusa? Lin. - or more probably the male of Philodice. Edusa is commonly deep orange yellow. 282 Pieris Protodice, Boisduval, a smallish sized male. 281 Cynthia Huntera Fab. 274 A Hipparchia, probably the Eurytris Cramer - but not certain without closer inspection. A specimen in the envelopes is the Hipparchia Andromacha, Hubner - having 4 equidistant dots in a row on each fore wing, when Eurytris has only two. 275 A variety of the preceding. 273 Eudamus Tityrus, Fab. 271 Is the Pamphila Bucephalus Stephens, according to a figure of it in Wood's Index - but Stephens's figure is slightly different, & I suspect there are two species. 262 Saturnia Maia Drury - a fine specimen, for which I am much obliged to you. I have but two others, one of which I took last Oct. in Mercer Co. Ill., the other was captured in Albany. In Georgia it is very common, in some years. I shall be glad of more specimens

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another year. This has the white band much narrower than in my other two specimens 232 Euclidia Erecthea, Cramer. 220 Arctia Virginica Fab. 214 Sesia diffinis Boisduval. 210 Deilephila lineata, Fab. 211 Chaerocampa tersa, Lin. 129 Proconia 4 - vittata Say. 85 Tetraopes tetrophthalma Forster 98 A species of Ornithomyia. What did it come off from? I have a species, found on the Owl, but have not compared to see if it is the same as this. In one of the paper envelopes I met with 5 speciemens of a Bee-fly (family Bombylidae) and a bee that had been taken off from a pin - whence I infer you had had been comparing and was perhaps puzzled with these flies, they are so very much like bees. There was a bug (Phytocoris) in the same envelope. If you recollect anything of interest with regard to these flies, please communicate it. The species is the Ploas auripilis (Golden-haired Bee-fly) of my Mss. I think, however, it has very likely been named by Macquart, who has described all of our more common flies. I took two individuals of this same species, in Pope Co. Illinois, Aug. 30, twenty four years ago, when I made a western excursion - and these are the only specimens I have ever seen until now. I am very glad to meet with this old acquaintance again. The above was wrote some days ago, and I was, before closing and sending you this, awaiting a leisure hour to write upon one or two other topics. I have just now received your letter of Dec. 29th. Epicauta is the name (orginally proposed by DeJean, who, however, gave no description of the genus) for a subdivision of the old genus Cantharis of Geoffrey - afterwards named Lytta[underline] by Fabricius - but Geoffrey's name being first given should be retained. The Cantharis vesica- toria Linn. is the type of the genus Cantharis; - hence those species which are closest allied to that are still retained under that genus. But a much greater nuimber of species, & these from all parts of the world, fall in the new genus Epicauta. Where a genus gets to be so inconveniently large as Cantharis was, it is better to have it cut up - but many of the entomologists of the day are carrying this quite too far, & are making the genera almost as numerous as the species are, and bothering the science with a mass

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of lumber & rubbish, in the shape of hard names, which tends only to mar and deform it. I have not looked at these insects for several years, and know not whether any domestic[inserted above] species has been sent me in addition to those named by Melsheimer. I never met with the vittata in this vicinity, until last summer - when a number of individuals occurred upon a bed of beets in my garden, several rods distant from any potato vines. Our species are said to be as good residents as the C. vesicatoria, but I have never tested them. If you have spare specimens, by soaking one in vinegar, and binding it on your arm over night, and one of C. vesicatoria also, you will be able to judge of their comparative virtues. I have not yet had time to take the insects from the quills and pin them up - but presume they will open in good condition, as I see the quills are pretty well filled, so there is little chance for their contents to shake about amd break each other to pieces. It wholly spoils Diptera, Hymenoptera, & Neuroptera to be wet with alcohol or anything - else - it wilts their wings, and makes them so like a wet dishcloth they cannot be spread out again, without tearing - and unless the veins and cells of the wings can be clearly traced, the species can seldom be ascertained. Spirits also injures the colors of Hemiptera & Orthoptera, Beetles only can be well preserved in spirits, & a few other hard insects like them. I send you the best form for an envelope for Lepidoptera though it is not a matter of much importance. Their wings should be spread when they are placed in the papers. But it is best to pin as many specimens as you can, when you capture them - even if you cannot set their wings then, they can be relaxed and spread out afterwards. The small millers, of which we have very many kinds, should be pinned, in the net, for the least rubbing with the fingers effaces their spots. Take a lantern, in cloudy nights, and go into fields & along the side of groves, & you will attract many kinds. I want to take up & describe our smaller moths, in a year or two, & should be glad of all the kinds you can find. Ask as many questions as you please, and I will endeavor to answer them, to the best of my ability. - I know not when my Report will be printed. It is but part wrote as yet - & it will take time for the engravers to get the illustrations ready. You will have a copy as soon as it is out of the press. I sent you a pamphlet by today's mail. I am much obliged to you for a copy of the Chicago paper with your interesting article on the 17-year Locust. I wish to secure everything that is published upon American insects - hence every newspaper slip, containing anything on this subject, is an acceptable favor. I have not yet had time to unroll and examine the twigs. When I come to write upon this insect, for my Report, I shall look at them sharply, and do not care to disturb them until then. I'm glad you have found a nest with a larva now in it, as I understand you to mean. In the last Prairie Farmer I notice two small typographical errors, one of which may have come from my careless chirography, Baridius trivatatus, should be trinOtatus; and Bavis should be Baris. Last evening my family, and some neighbors in on an evening's visit, lamented greatly, to find that the rattlesnake, after being in a warm room some time, would not revive. His death is sincerely mourned, by half the neighborhood. Leaving him in a cold room, one night when the thermometer was 24* below 0, was a thoughtless act in me, for which I feel much provoked with myself. Well, all I can do now, is to bottle him up, Sic transit gloria mundi. It was unanimously voted by the company, that I should write you to send another specimen, out of your next years captures; and I will promise that he shall be more carefully housed. If a specimen can be sent alive to Prof. De filipi, I have no doubt it will be a very welcome remittance - & will form an addition to the university museum, which will be noticed and even remembered by all the students. Save him as full a suit of Amphibia & Fish, next summer, as you have opportunity for. My paper is filled and I must close. Yours Truly, January 7, 1855, Asa Fitch

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