WCP1463

[1]

Menado, N. Celebes.

July 20th, 1859

My dear Sir

In reply to your note of Apr. 18¹ allow me to assure you, that I never imagined you knew of my wishes as to my private collection, & I only meant to inform you that I was making no special exception in your case. The express stipulation, I had made with Mr. Saunders² to have complete lists published of all those parts of my private coll[ectio]ⁿ. I gave up to him, & also of any parts of the coleoptera he could make arrangements for having worked out, would I imagined have made my intentions apparent to Mr. Stevens³ without a special intimation as to lending my private coll[ectio]ⁿ. which however I imagined (I suppose erroneously) I had also given him. I am not aware that to this day any one has published selected species from my private coll[ectio]ⁿ. but yourself.⁴ Mr. Tatum⁵ never did any thing but put mss. names to a few sp. of Geodephaga & give me some information wh[ich]. I requested from him. Mr. Baly⁶ has I know long been at work on a Monograph of the [2] Hispidae for which I presume he has had the specimens you refer to. In groups of little difficulty as the Cicindelidae & Papilios I sh[oul]^d. have no objection to new sp[ecies]. ^alone being described &[?] figured, but the Longicorns are a most difficult & complicated group, & I want assistance in working them out.

I am still in hopes you may take up some of the genera or give a complete catalogue of some local collection — An excellent opportunity of this kind occurs in my Batchian coll[ectio]ⁿ. wh[ich]. will probably arrive soon after you receive this.⁷ It is I believe perfectly virgin ground, as I am not aware of any insects being known from the island before, a list of any family would therefore possess a general interest. I obtained about 150 species, — many very curious forms & some very fine insects, among them I think the handsomest Glenea known & a grand new Tmesisternus.⁸

Of a considerable number the two sexes are determined which adds much to the completeness of the coll[ectio]ⁿ. It will give me very great pleasure to hear that you will undertake to make a complete [3] list of these, with descriptions of the new species. There occurs an extraordinary case of two Gleneas twice taken "in copulo"⁹ — yet I cannot consider these as one species because they are the most dissimilar of the series. One of the pairs taken you will see in my private collection, & I invite your opinion on the matter. I may remark that in every case in which specimens are marked ♂. ♀. they have been taken "in cop." When paired from sexual characters I merely place the specimens together without marking them as ascertained sexes.

You are no doubt aware that my hobby is "Geog[raphical]. distribution", — which I am glad to hear you are also interested in, — but it is for that very reason that I am so anxious that my collection should be worked at, either in classificational or geographic groups. Is there any hope, of us getting the rest of White's B[ritish]. M[useum]. Cat[alogue]. of the Longicorns?¹⁰ Catalogues published in that fragmentary manner are almost useless [4] as the first parts become quite obsolete by the time the last are published. I hope Lacordaire's¹¹ vol. on the family will be out soon.

A line from you when convenient will give me much pleasure.

I must now remain | Yours faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace [signature] |

F. Pascoe.¹¹ Esq.