54 



THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



zoologists. He went to Berlin, and writes : " Great expectations, small 

 success, a load of cares, experience of the world." He worked with Prof. 

 Klug in the Museum, and gave Latin lessons to barbers' apprentices. 

 March, 1829, working up the genus Amara, of which some sheets were 

 printed. 1830, very bad times begin ; want of money. 1 831, monograph 

 of the genus Zabrus finished ; printed in June. 



During this time he had become acquainted with many prominent ento- 

 mologists and with a large number of students, who later became famous, 

 but the constant want of means was so depressing that he decided to try 

 his fortune as a collector in Mexico. He sold his collection of 2,400 

 species of beetles and his books. To enable him to fulfil his intentions, 

 twenty-four naturalists of prominence from Germany, England and Russia 

 subscribed six hundred dollars, and a number of friends six hundred and 

 eighty dollars to pay his debts. This was all repaid with interest by 

 Zimmermann, as soon as he had made money here, as a page in his note- 

 book states. He left Hamburg, Aug. 5, 1832, as steerage passenger for 

 Philadelphia. He began directly to collect, and to study the English 

 language. His collection grew rapidly, but in a few months he saw 

 that it was impossible to work in expensive America for cheap Europe 

 without running in debt. So he decided to leave Philadelphia and to try 

 his luck as a teacher in South Carolina. He made the trip, according to 

 the custom of German students, on foot, a knapsack on his shoulders and 

 a few dollars in his pocket. This journey of 713 miles, in the midst of a 

 severe winter, and attended with much hardship, which proves his excel- 

 lent health and strength, was made in fifty days, with twenty-seven dollars 

 in cash, six dollars credit, three maps, one book and a pocket-knife. The 

 visit to Dr, Melsheimer on this trip has been published before by me. 

 The detailed report of excursion given by Zimmermann to Prof. Burmeis- 

 ter is very interesting, but has never been printed. Zimmermann had no 

 idea that he was here considered simply a tramp, which explains easily 

 and rightly most of his complaints. 



In Georgetown, S. C., he tuned pianos and gave music-lessons till he 

 was engaged in the South Carolina Female Institute, at Berhamville, to 

 teach music and drawing. This happy change in his circumstances 

 allowed him to pay directly the debts made in Europe, with five per cent, 

 interest. He collected largely ; sometimes quoting the number collected 

 at the end of the month or the year, as : " 11,508 specimens have been 



