13() Journal Xew York Entomological Society. t^'oi- xxvi. 



what highly in the opinion of the world before this would have 

 blushed with shame at their inferiority had they been with us that 

 evening- and heard the gallant Doctor's comparisons. I was naturally 

 pleased — what woman does not dote on flattery, however gross? — and, 

 you see, I did not at that time know that the doctor was a maker of 

 fiction ! " About these days," as the Farmers' Almanac used to say, 

 we began holding auctions for the sale of rare and desirable insects, 

 the proceeds to be applied to the expenses of the new Journal. As 

 I had been so fortunate as to travel each winter to the extreme south- 

 ern part of our country and to spend summers in our high northern 

 altitudes, in Franconia and on the summit of IVIt. Washington I had 

 duplicates of many rare species and gladly contributed them for the 

 good cause. Those auction sales were most amusing things. I should 

 like to attend one now ; the " movies " are nothing compared with 

 them. One evening, at a sale at the residence of Mr. Neumoegen, a 

 reporter from one of the city dailies was present. He was a most 

 puzzled and astonished man. Wandering about the room he asked one 

 after another the meaning of the affair but evidently could not at all 

 understand the attempted explanation given him. Now I belonged 

 to a family of journalists and had been accustomed to reporters and 

 interviewers from childhood. So I beckoned the poor news seeker 

 to my side, telling him I would explain the whole thing to him as it 

 went on. And, knowing the particular jargon of the cult I kept my 

 word and made clear to him — that is as clear as it could be made to 

 a non-entomological person — the meaning of what went on. Only a 

 few weeks ago I came across that article of his, clipped from the 

 newspaper he sent me. I laid it aside and have now looked for it in 

 vain. It was fairly correct, owing to my lucid explanations, but typo- 

 graphical errors were innumerable, as was natural, and the whole 

 article was mildly sarcastic. I find among my papers a letter from 

 Mr. Beutenmiiller giving results of one of these auctions held in '98. 

 I see by that specimens of lepidoptera donated by me brought in ^yS. 

 Sphinx canadensis brought $5.00, the purchaser having authorized 

 bidding as high as $12.00 if necessary to secure the desired specimen. 

 Other prices obtained were $2.45 for Anchocelis digitalis, $1.50 for 

 Enhalisidota longa, $1.15 Thecla martialis, 50 cents Plusia vaccinii, 

 55 cents Plusia mappa, P. viridisigma, 60 cents. There was much 



