54 
HALIDAY AND LOEW 
Another letter from Haliday, of much later date (Paris, Hotel 
de l'Empire, February 9, 1862), contains some facts of importance. 
I reproduce fragments of it: — 
“I left London with my friends on Tuesday morning, reached Amiens 
that evening, spent the next day with Dr. Dours [hymenopterologist], and 
reached Paris by lly^ p.m. The next day I called on Dr. Sichel, — then 
of course to the Museum. . . . The next day at Dr. Sichel’s (Hymenoptera), 
Saturday again at the Museum. In the parts of Meigen’s collection to 
which I confined my attention ( Mmcidae Acctlypt .) . . . the species 
represented are few beyond all my previous suppositions. It is evident 
that he derived more from v. Winthem’s and Wiedemann’s collections than, 
from his own ; or that the duplicates of which his heirs disposed to Mr. 
Winnertz included a material part of the whole. Yet even the little 
remaining I found to take much time to muster and survey; the more so 
from their imperfect condition. I first went through Helomyzci-Heteromyza 
with your tables ; then Ephydra and Hydrellia , hastily. The results I 
have copied out for you (vide postscript ), 1 expecting to set out to-morrow. 
At present, however, the aspect of the weather, snow and frost . . . in¬ 
duces us to pause for one or for two days, before we prepare to encounter 
Mont Cenis. I shall therefore, I expect, have one more morning at the 
Museum. ... I have not had a sight of Mr. Bigot till this afternoon.” 
[In a footnote Haliday adds :] “ Bigot has got from Corsica the most re¬ 
markable Nemocerous Dipteron I have ever seen.” [which evidently refers 
to the Blepharocerid Apistomyia Bigot, published in the same year]. “ I feel 
much obliged by the effort you made, under the instant pressure of busi¬ 
ness, to write to me. ... I am glad to know the Discomyza arrived safe. 
Finding that the volume of Curtis’s ‘Farm Insects’ might go . . . more 
safely through my booksellers, I have entrusted it to them . . . and 
hope it will reach you speedily. I shall receive with real gratification the 
present you propose for me of your ‘ South African Diptera.’ ... I ex¬ 
pect to find his [Bellardi’s] collection of Piedmontese Diptera very 
interesting. . . . He has been collecting long enough to furnish a good 
provincial collection. —There I must conclude. Ever yours sincerely,” etc. 
I shall give in the sequel further extracts from Haliday’s letters 
concerning Loew’s first volume of the “ Monographs of North 
American Diptera,” which appeared in 1862. 
These few extracts from Haliday’s correspondence afford much 
of interest, not only from the biographical, but also from the scien- 
1 A long, very painstaking enumeration of species, with numerous remarks and 
synonymies. 
