154 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



of fifteen drawers, filled with specimens, was bequeathed to the 

 Society by its first Curator, the late Rev. James Hubbert. 



In 1875 the attention of the Society was drawn to the de- 

 sirability of sending a collection of Canadian insects to the Cen- 

 tennial Exhibition to be held at Philadelphia during the follow- 

 ing year, and measures were taken to carry the project into effect. 

 Aided by a grant of $500 from the Commissioners appointed by 

 the Dominion Government, the work was entered upon with great 

 activity by the members resident in London. A specimen case of 

 the kind used at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cam- 

 bridge, Mass., was procured from Dr. Hagen, and a large number 

 of similar style were constructed. A supply of sheet cork, of 

 double the ordinary thickness, for lining the cases was obtained 

 from England. All the members in London who had collections 

 generously placed them at the dispcsal of the Committee who had 

 charge of the work, and many others, resident in different parts of 

 Ontario and Quebec, liberally assisted in supplying specimens to 

 fill any requirements for the completion of the exhibit. 



"The work went on during many months, and in the spring of 

 1876 the collection was completed and sent to Philadelphia, where 

 it arrived without injury to a single specimen. It consisted of 

 eighty-six cases, forty-five of which were filled with Lepidoptera, 

 twenty-seven with Coleoptera, three with Hymenoptera, five with 

 Neuroptera (including the Odonata and some other orders), two 

 with Hemiptera, three with Diptera and one with Orthoptera. 

 When spread out in the Agricultural Hall they formed a double 

 row more than seventy-five feet long and presented a very attrac- 

 tive appearance. 



In order to ensure correctness in naming, all doubtful speci- 

 mens were submitted to specialists as far as possible. Mr. A. R. 

 Grote, the leading authority on the Lepidoptera, twice visited 

 London, and on each occasion spent some days in carefully going 

 over the collection. The Coleoptera were largely named by Dr. 

 G. H. Horn, the Geometers were submitted to Dr. A. S. Packard, 

 and the Neuroptera were identified by Dr. Hagen. The value of 

 the collections for purposes of reference was thus immensely in- 

 creased. Years afterwards the Noctuids were inspected by Dr. 

 John B. Smith, and he could find but few instances of mis-identi- 



