Letters from Alexander Henry Haliday to Hermann Loew July-October 1868 and Fragmentia
Villa Pisani, Lucca. July 1868
My Dear Dr Loew I was but a few days returned to Lucca from the visit to Sicily of which I had advised you by anticipation in my late letters but was preparing to write to you to inquire how you found yourself since your removal to Guben (of which I had the formal notice from you by a printed slip, received at Syracuse [1], I think) when your welcome letter came to hand, and this instead of acelerating mine, will induce me to postpone the dispatch at least of it, that I may be able to give you some more information on some of the subjects touched in yours, as well as to add some few particulars more, relative to that excursion, now that Iknow you are as well as usual, and at leisure to give me time to Entm. Subjects. My best thanks to you on behalf of the Ent Soc. [2] for your proposed contribution to our Journal. I left the management of the society’s affairs, in my absence, to Prof Stefanelli [3] and M. Piccioli[4] of Florence who were sanguine that, by the time of my return, they should be able to produce a list of associates, as large as their more ambitious calculation had prefixed for the institution of the Society. I suspect however, they will have to curb their desires, and revert to my more moderate estimate! I am desirous the publication of the first part of the Journal should not be delayed much further, and I consider that at the real _______ bond of the society, which professes no substantial centre of action, no Museum, nor library, the members being pretty equally disseminated through a number of the great cities. Not one have I been able to find, I mean, working entomologist in Sicily, nor in the Roman territory[5]. As to Bellardi [6], I almost think he has made a vow to write to me no more, since the long interuption of correspondence occasioned by my illness. It is true he sends me, through Ghiliani [7] ,obligingly, pages and promises to write to me very soon, from Calabria, was not rare in one place on the ascent of the Monte Rufro [8], a lateral cone of eruption of Etna, and occurred no where else. I was struck, from my first experience of Sicily by the appearance of - which I had never found in Tuscany. In the SE part of the island I took, rarely, and almost __________ on the bare calcarous rocks, dotted in the __________ with thyme (___________ ) the a very small Sciomyza , quite new to me. I have not by me the 7th vol. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien. to consult your paper on the genus. At Naples, very unexpectedly, I fell in with M. Fedchenko [9] of Moscow, from whom I had been expecting a visit at Lucca , in the spring, in vain. We made two days collecting excursions together with the ___________ He found first on the rocks of the gulf a species of Canace, which makes certainly a second, but ___ just one _____ to a puzzle, as the idea has come over me that the very ill-conditioned specimen, from the S. coast of Ireland, on which I drew up the character of the genus'
and promises to write to me very soon, but the fulfilment does not arrive, and meanwhile the intention serve only as an excuse for not replying, through the other, to queries from -. I would write to him once more, about the Blepharoceridae of his collection, as I think he must feel how little likelyhood there is of his making any use of them for publication himself; and as it is on behalf of our own Society, I have the letter _________ for addressing him. I wait however both to have a reply from Rondani [10], who is in near relation with him than I, and to hear, from yourself, whether you will write directly to Bellardi on the subject. I do not remember his having had Apistomyia , when I last saw his collection; but he had a specimen of the family from the isle of Cyprus, which seemed a n.sp; and might perhaps be of that genus. Of Blepharicera he had two Italian species, one, I did not, being Liponeura, as they differed considerably between themselves. It is some time since I heard from Mr Bigot [11]; I think mine was the last letter, but I intend to write to him about my Sicilian tour __ You may remember that he volunteered, in a letter to me, to communicate for your use, if you chose it, a number of Asilidae ___ his collection, which he considered we described; and I have little doubt he would readily lend his typical specimen of Apistomyia for your use, how best transfered from Paris to you? If Bellardi's is not available, and if you have no objection to let me make this request to him. I have mentioned, I know not whether
to you also, that Verk. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien's statement of the resemblance in - and movement of Blepharicera & Chironomidae does not approve itself to me. The former is peculiar, settling invariably on the under surface of leaves for the head much pressed towards the surface on which it rests, and the abdomen obliquely ascending above the place of the horizontally directed wing. I have made no observations that lead to any guess as to the station of the larva. Before I left Sicily, I got just a sight of Palermo, having come in the post steam packet from Siracusa, round the bottom coast of the island. I was not there 24 hours quite, leaving it for Livorno by sea but I took a run into the country, one of the first things, to the breccia deposit in the cave called “Grotta de’ Giganti” [See Ossiferous caves near Palermo [12]]. I found no proper spelaeophile insects in the cavern, which has little depth; but in the dark the walls, encrusted with caleareous percolaturus, were crowded with multitudes of a small Medeterus, thick as the Moscelline (Drosophila repleta) swarm about the wine butts. I presume the species, which seems no new one, breeds in the earthy humus of the cavern, in which the bones of elephants, rhinoceros __ occurred. Dolichopidae were singularly rare in Sicily, considering it is a good time of the year for them, though the season was too far advanced for many other species of Diptera. One specimen of Coremacera I took on the ____ fringed banks of the blue crystal Cyane ; at Messina and Dolichopus (new) with a blackish op ---tip of wing of mas. only. I remember nothing else in this family new to me.Timia apicalis of which Costa [13] has....I asked C A Dohn [14] to procure me, or to lend me, specimens, and he very kindly sent me, by post, instantly, a specimen from his own collection, both of this and of Dicranomyia chloroticus On the identity of the species of the
latter I am not ready to give an opinion yet, but the formes is distinct from the Sicilian, which I return to consider as new, C. _______ (habitat, Sua___ fr____). I ____ to hence concluded this from Dohrn’s correction of Gebler’s character of Cornumutila desertorum, but mine agrees in the ______ corre_ with Gebler’s description accurately; much more than Dr Dohrn’s specimen, as to the authenticity of which processes I can entertain no doubt. Thanks for your further communication as to Saucropus nubifer [Saucropus nubifer Loew, 1869: 302] I will collate mine, as soon as I can find time, and send you the _____, when I report on the ___. Neither can I say anything positive,from memory, as to Tachy. As you observe, the structure, you have figured is more simple than in that op; if I remember right; but my specimens are all in Dublin, if they
Villa Pisani mar Lucca 18 September 1868
My Dear Dr Loew, On my return from Florence, on Tuesday night (18th) , I found your welcome letter, enclosing the MS of article on Blepharoceridae , for which many thanks. I take it as a happy omen, as I came back from Florence/whither I had gone, at the end of last week, expressly on the affairs of the Ent. Soc., charged with the care of making a list of articles for the Journal (the first quarter of which they wish to bring out in January next), and requesting an early communication of Ms. From the respve writers. I have referred it to the committee of publication, composed of residents there, (of which I am not part), to determine, on my statement of the nature of the article, if they choose to have it, As one at least of the members seemed disposed to limit the interpretation of “the Fauna of the Pennisula”. The reply will equally decide on the principal article I had intended for the journal, myself, the Hymenoptera Cenoptera (Dryinidae and Bethylidae) of Western Europe. If declined, I will instantly return the Ms. To you, that the publication in some other journal may suffer no delay. If accepted, as I expect, I will set about the translation, in leisure hours, and will write to Bellardi about any materials he may have to suppliment it. I presume the communication - about the Philipine Isles, is detailed from his collection; and he has a sp. from Cyprus, which I considered distinct from Bigot’s Apistomyia I am not sanguine however about obtaining either a communication or an answer. I doubt whether there is sufficient ground to alter the generic nomenclature you had adopted; at all events, it is a question, and should be decided not in a hurry, as I believe present usage (if usage L___ said to ex____ a subject too little open,) is in favour of Macquart’s names. As for the family name, it is for you to choose. I do not think you are bound to determine it from the oldest genus name, if there be either etymological reasons against it, or a better type can be fixed on, and then, priority should not be neglected as to family names, though not certainly the strict rule of generic uses etc. It to avoid what to my ear was an unpleasant alliteration that if one preferred Phlebotomidae to Psychodidae; but with such recurrences of consonants as in dedidi, that evidently was untenable – More lately, I took Iapygidae, - ‘not for ___ only, but for the typical inference, - in preference to Campodeidae (from the older genus Campodea) – but Meinert [15] I see, has set aside my name to substitute Campodeae. The specific name I had adopted for the Antlemon was solstitialis all my specimens having been taken about the end of June – and with this name I have communicated it to Winnertz & Schneider Br. Museum etc Both are unpublished, and you are quite free (if there is any need of my saying so to do as you will as to publication and names; as you are in possession of all the information. You will let me know if you describe it, that there may be no collision. I have now to correct one of my ___ meets in my last. The Sicilian Cassida is not C. _, according to the best evidence I can get. J C . Dale [16], verging at least on 80 years of age (if not exceeding it) cannot be expected to do much in collecting, though he wields the net yet, even with one arm that was dislocated not long ago; and he is training up his two sons in his own ways. F. Walker, who was on a visit to Dale very lately, says they are promising collectors, but they schoolboys, as Dale married very late in life. I keep up correspondence with him, and he sends me Diptera sometimes. He, Walker [17] and Westwood [18], are all that remain of the _____ friends I had among my contemporaries. I hope your correspondence with Mr Fedchenko will assume a more reasonable form in future. I should scarcely have expected such a proposition to come from him. I should be desirous, whenever it is ___ for practice, to avail myself of your ___ for utilizing the duplicates of your collection. I must include a second that , at present,
Very sincerely yours. A H Haliday [Note f: Iapygidae Haliday 1864, ex Iapyx Haliday 1864, typus I. solifugus Haliday 1864; g: Campodea Westwood 1842, typus C. staphylinus Westwood 1842- Typified names in use: Iapygidae, Campodeidae, Campodina, Campodeoidea ]
Lucca Italy 26 Oct. 1868 My dear Dr Loew, I do not sit down at present with any intention of replying, article by article, to your long and interesting letter of the 15th Octr., reserving that, as a privilege, for hours when I may be less occupied. Only I take the opportunity of writing to Berlin, I enclose a few lines to you, to tell you in the first place that the missive, you refer to, of the 8th Century of N. American Diptera, has not come to my hands, nor to Rondani’s either, as I have just learned by a letter from him. On the other hand, I did receive the _______________ ., some months ago. I am glad to understand that one of the works you have in preparation is a supplementary vol. To Meigen [19] [the work is [Systematische Beschreibung der bekannten europäischen zweiflügeligenInsekten] ; a very desirable one, to bring together in one view the numerous new species, that have been made known since, and the corrections. A very short time will now decide if we can count on a sufficient number of capable writers in the journal of the Ent. Soc., to give good hope of its continued existence. If not, it will be better to abandon the scheme for the present, but the attempt and failure, at this time, might deter others from reviving the scheme, at a future and more favourable epoch. I have as yet but one Ms. Actually in hand, in addition to yours, but some others I consider as assured. If Mr Fedchenko sends me, as he promised to do, the characters of new spp. of Diptera taken by him in Italy, in time for the journal, I may combine his paper with my own contributions of the same nature,and ____ among them Antlemon, as I hence communicated the species under that name to several. If he does not, then I should feel no obligation, or haste, to redeem the implied pledge of publication, while assured of the work being done more satisfactorily in your forthcoming volume. I am not sure if I had received, when I wrote to you last, F. Walker’s reply to my inquiry about Anthenia americanae; that is, that the species exists no more, at least in the place it ought to occupy, in the Brit. Mus. Collection. It is not satisfactory that the restriction on the use of that collection, so much complained of by some foreign writers who could not obtain the book of specimens out of the collection, are not found sufficient to ensure the safe preservation of the subjects, which is their purpose. I have put some questions about Apistomyia to J Bigot , in like manner, but I am uncertain whether my letter may find him in town as he is become a sort of Ascetimetes on his Sabine farm [20] , and consorts little with his ____peers, in the Ent. Soc., of Paris.
From ___________ I had a letter today, conveying Bellardi’s message that he was unable to do anything entomologically just now (for the journal), and that he would write to me himself, as soon as he could, a promis the value of which, I believe, I know. I know of no one in England who occupies himself with Diptera more actively than Verrall [21] seems to do. An old correspondent of mine who did, Mr Herron, has just written to me about procuring for him a good stock of Italian Carabi, to
On whose and ???____ chiefly I counted on the advantageous search of the _________ is lately dead. Catania will probably be the best place to address letters to (__________) if you find occasion to write. Nicolosi which was Dr Gu____ ‘s residence ____ naturally be our chief quarters for the mountain exploration but it is not a P______ and Cata____ is the most convenient of _______ ascent. Dr Wright’s _________ by way of m____ the Taxidermist of the Dublin University Museum to ______________________________ And I must take more nets ____ present them I had ______ for the first planned excursion of __ or three weeks only. I hope to have good account of your health in repose soon, and proof of the b______ with which you will devote yourself of the favourite services from the rest. Sincerely yours A.H. Haliday Dr H Loew. P.S. I write E______ (maritima) in _______ insets ___ from Catal. Europ. Dipl. Without ---- criticism I ________ Psilopa has the best right