31 



ON SOME OF THE COLLEOTIONS IN ENGLAND AND THE GERMAN 



EMPIRE. 



BY GAMBLE GEDDES, TORONTO. 



It gives me great pleasure, Mr. President and gentlemen, to read to you some notes 

 upon the collections [ had the privilege of examining during a stay of some months on 

 the continent and three weeks in London, England, when returning to Canada. 



Crossing from Hoboken, N.J., by the German Lloyd S. S. AUer, the first entomologist 

 I visited upon landing at Bremen in Germany was our old friend and collaborator Aug. 

 R. Grote, and busy as he was about other matters in general, but music in particular, he 

 found time to take me to see Mr. Lahmann's breeding room, where I saw a large number 

 of the larvje of Europe feeding, and also hundreds of pupje ready for shipping to different 

 parts of the world. In this collection I saw principally the Arctiadse and Borabycidse, 

 but likewise many Papilios — and it was a matter of wonder to me, to see how Mr. Lah- 

 mann kept alive the food-plants for these larvas in such a dark room as he kept them in. 

 For the benefit of the members of the Society who might like to correspond with Mr. 

 Lahmann, I may state that he is always ready to exchange for N. and S. American 

 species, those of Europe, and he has succeeded in breeding many rarities in large num- 

 bers. His address is, Albert Lahmann (Ambrill Strasse 8) Bremen, Germany. 



My next visit was to Dr. Meyer, director of the Natural History Museum at Dres- 

 den. Professor Ramsay Wright having turaished me with a letter of introduction, Dr. 

 Meyer immediately put me in the hands of Dr. Heller the entomologist of the Listitution, 

 who was most attentive to my wants, and during my several visits to the collection, 

 always managed to spend a portion of his time with me and placed the cabinets and 

 library at my disposal whenever I desired to refer to them. Here I first observed the 

 drawers made with glass at top and bottom, with only thin strips of cork fastened in to 

 pin the specimens to. Any collector who has not already seen these drawers can readily 

 appreciate the use of them. Instead of mounting Lepidoptera showing the upper and 

 under surfaces, it is only necessary to set them right side up, and in order to examine the 

 under-sides, all one has to do, is to turn the drawers up-side-down when the reverse sides 

 can be examined through the glass, thus saving space and time. 



This collection is well worth a visit from any traveller for it embraces fine representa- 

 tions in all classes of insects from every part of the globe. A number of collections have 

 been donated to this museum by private individuals, and many purchases have been made. 

 The whole lot have been carefully selected from and the best specimens consolidated into 

 a fine collection of reference not only for the entomological students of Germany but for 

 foreigners wishing to consult the cabinets. The books of the library are as carefully selec- 

 ted as the insects in the collection. I might mention that the moths and butterflies of 

 Europe are particularly tine. 



Herr Ribbe's collection was sold by auction during my stay in Dresden, and the 

 chances of purchasing were remarkable. To give an idea, a fine cabinet, cork-lined drawers 

 with glass tops (16 drawers) filled with inflated larvae with the food-plants, was sold for 38 

 marks, equal to $9.50 in our money. 



I next went to see Dr. Staudinger, at Blasewitch, on the Elbe, and here I saw the 

 most wonderful collection that I have ever come across. 



Dr. Staudinger has named his place the " Villa Sphinx," and has built the house on 

 purpose to accommodate the vast collection which for years and years has been 

 accumulating. 



Here one can see most of the insects known and a large number of the collector's 

 own types, as well as a very numerous collection of unnamed species, to which Dr. Staud- 

 inger was devoting his time (in describing) during my visit of nearly six months at 

 Dresden. 



