THE society's heritage from the 3IACLEAYS. 575 



the cast of Phidias and (talking ot thing's on a gi'and scale) the elephant at 



Exeter Change; also Bullock's Museum Saw the whole of Tran- 



cillon's collection of British and foreign insects, the finest in the world .... 

 Let those who wish to have an idea of the magnificence of Nature, visit the ele- 

 phant, those who wish to judge of her varietas insatiabilis, see FrancUlon's col- 

 lection" [Life, Letters, and Journals, Vol. i., pp. 40-41, 1881]. The Catalogue 

 speaks of it as undoubtedly "the most magnificent Cabinet of Insects that has 

 e^•er been brought to sale in this country; containing many unique and remark- 

 able Specimens, and generally in a high state of Preservation." The sale lasted 

 eight days, and realised £725/11/6. The collection was offered in 122 lots, con- 

 tained in 72 drawers, in three cabinets, of 64, 36, and 24 drawers. One feature of 

 the collection of interest is, that it contained specimens collected and presented to 

 the owner, by Surgeon-General John White, who came out to Australia with the 

 First Fleet, under Captain Phillip, in January, 1788. 



Freeman, Kirby's biographer, gives some very interesting details about the 

 sale of Francillon's collection. Kirby attended the sale: "He made some con- 

 siderable additions to his treasures, though not nearly to the extent of his friend 

 Mr. [A.] McLeay, who purchased little short of half the collection. Mr. W. 

 [S.] McLeay thus notices the circumstances [in a letter to Kirby] — 'I understand, 

 from my father, that you are one of the soiols of the sale of Mr. Francillon's 

 cabinet, giving it life, activity, and, above all, value. I suppose you have added 

 extensively to your collection : as for my father, he has made his as brilliant for 

 the amateur as it is instructive for the entomological student, but to arrange it, 

 'hie labor, hoe opus est.' The French Museum has been prevailed on to let my 

 father have one of the Hexodous; so that now he will have every described genus 

 of Latreille's family of Lamellieomes' " [p. 349]. 



Mr. Marsham's collection was sold by auction in September. 1810, about 

 two months before his decease on 26th November following. The owner was 

 a foundation member of the Linnean Society, the first Secretary (1788-98), and 

 Treasurer from 1798-1816. He was the author of the "Entomologica Britannica," 

 of which only the first volume (Coleoptera) was published (1802) ; and of nine 

 entomological papers contributed to the Transactions of the Linnean Society. 

 His collection was !.n important one, though not so extensive as Francillon's. 

 The sale lasted for three days. The collection was offered in 115 lots, contained 

 in 36 drawers, in two cabinets, each of 24 drawers. The cabinet of British in- 

 sects, described in the Ent. Brit, was offered separately in one lot. Twenty-eight 

 additional lots, including the two cabinets, five boxes of insects, a microscope, and 

 sundries, were also offered. But beyond some pencil entries of prices in A. Mac- 

 leay's copy of the catalogue, no further information is available. 



Another important collection, from which Alexander Macleay purchased 

 specimens, was that of General Thomas Davies, of the Royal Artillery, "well 

 known as a most accurate observer of nature, and an indefatigable collector of her 

 treasures, as well as a most admirable painter of them" [Kirby and Spence, 

 Introd. to Entom., i., 108]. W. S. Macleay, in his paper on the "Annulosa of 

 South Africa" (p. 74), published in London in 1838, shortly before he left for 

 Australia, says of CerapteruR latipes [Paussidre] — "The original specimen which 

 General Davies sent to Swcderus for description is now in my collection, my 

 father having purchased it at the sale of the General's museum." But neither 

 the sale-catalogue nor anv further information are available. 



