


OLETHREUTES. 251 
In ‘The Substitute,’ 1: 1856-7 pp. 106-8, is an obituary notice of David Dyson (IV. 1823- 
10. XII. 1856), reprinted from ‘The Express’ of 12 December 1856, and, on p. 146, a proposal 
that lithographed copies of his portrait by a French artist should be offered to subscribers. It 
would appear that Dyson was originally a weaver at Oldham, that he went to America in 1843, 
and collected ‘“‘ through the States, across the Alleghany Mountains, and as far as St. Louis,” 
returning to England in less than twelve months with upward of 18,000 specimens of insects, 
birds, shells, and plants. ‘He started for Central America on the 17th of September, 1844, and 
landed at Belize on the 3rd of November. He remained in Honduras till the latter end of 1845, 
actively engaged in his vocation, aud in the deadly swamps of that country contracted disorders 
which undermined his constitution, the immediate cause of his return being a sun-stroke at 
Belize.’ The British Museum seems to have engaged Dyson to make certain collections, and the 
chief result of this trip was “the addition of many thousand specimens to the British Museum.” 
In 1846, accompanied by his brother Amos Dyson, he collected for about eleven months in 
Venezuela for the Museum, “ his collection on this occasion including a great variety of humming 
birds, moths, beetles and shells”’ After his return to England, Dyson appears to have given his 
attention chiefly to Conchology, and to have assisted Hugh Cuming, of Gower Street ; he succeeded 
Louis Fraser as curator of the Earl of Derby’s collections, at Knowsley. Dyson amassed a private 
collection of about 20,060 shells, belonging to 10,000 species, and, in 1850, he published at 
Manchester a 12mo of 96 pp. on ‘The Land and Fresh Water Shells of the districts around 
Manchester.’ Mrs. Ives published a further obituary notice, with portrait of Dyson | Proc. 
Manchester Field Club 1:1900-1 pp. 238-40 Pl. 11 (1905) ], from which we learn that ‘ David 
Dyson became an author, which was the more surprising as to the day of his death he did 
not know how to read or to write. When the authorities of the British Museum asked 
him by what method he distinguished natural history objects from each other, he tcld them 
that he had a mode of writing of his own, a kind of hieroglyphic marking understood only 
by himself.” !! 
It would seem that the full record for Walker’s species described as from 
“ Honduras” or from “Limas ” should be British Honpuras: Limas, near Belize, 
1844-5 (D. Dyson), but some specimens had been previously acquired from Miller, in 
1839——there is no reason ‘to suppose that these were not frora Belize. The actual 
locality “ Limas” is probably Lime Walk (Labouring Creek), north-west of Belize.— 
Drnt. | 
6. Olethreutes albimacula Wism. 
Cacocharis albimacula Wlsm. Pr. Z. Soc, Lond. 1891 503-4, 543 sp. 34 Pf. 41° 4a-» (1892) ': 
1897 125 no. 61 sp. 169 (1897) *. 
Type 2 (65070, St. Vincent); 3 (62281, Ceara) Mus. Wism. BM. 
Hab. AMERICA, C-S-l. Central America—GUATEMALA : SUCHITEPEQUEZ : San Isidro, 
1600 ft., 10-23. 1X. 1880 (G. C. Champion). South America’ °“—BraziLb’?: CEARA*: 
Ceara, VIII. 1884 (J. H. Leech)’— Uruauay: Monte Video, 1861 (R. Shield, Stn. Coll.). 
West Indies*’—JaMaica : ST. ANDREW: Constant Spring, 2. 1.1904 (Wism.); Kingston, 
® Phyllanthus sicea, ex. IX.1907 (Dr. M. Grabham; 6252-5 Drnt. Det. 1908)— 
Sr. Vincent (H. H. Smith) *™. 
2kk 2 
