PAPILIO. 



Prgan of tl^e fJew Jork f ntomological piub. 



Ol. 1.] March lo, 1881. [No. 3. 



lOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF M. ACHILLE GUENEE. 



By a. R. Grote. 



\ Monsieur Achille Guenee died at Chateaudun on the 

 pth day of December, 1880, in the 72d year of his age, and the 

 ijorld has lost an excellent Entomologist. 



I I remember well the little old town, perched on a hill near 

 'le left bank of the Loire, and overlooking the valley through 

 hich that river makes its way. Its castle and churches, the 

 luare in front of the inn filled on market days early in the morn- 

 ig with sellers of country produce of all kinds ; its paved streets 

 :ithout trees, and for the most part without sidewalks ; a ruined 

 ;-chway, with an inscription, incomplete and defaced, of " Liberte, 

 Igalite," and the rest (a curious commentary on the appearance 

 |°the horrible old women who picked up the droppings on the 

 reets for a living) — all this and much more I noticed between 

 .y arrival in Chateaudun one evening and my call on M. Guenee 

 e next day, as by appointment. For M. Guenee then, it being 

 mmer, lived out of town, but was to come in and open his 

 ouse for my reception. 



The collaborator of Dr. Boisduval, in the " Species Generales 

 es Lepidopteres," was a thin, rather short, dark, beardless man, 

 iolite and pleasant as most as most of his nation are, but with a 

 ;ood heart behind his somewhat diplomatic manners. The house 

 /as old, dark and gloomy, and probably appeared at an additional 

 lisadvantage from having been closed for the summer. 



Before proceeding to examine his collection of types of 

 American moths, which was the main object of my visit, we sat 

 lown to a dejeuner a la fourchette, consisting chiefly of a bottle 

 )f good wine and an ancient game pasty, in which latter 1 half 

 uspected I should find some entomological acquaintances had 

 ;aken up their dwelling. 



M. Guen^e's collection was contained in glass boxes, many 

 )f the type specimens being separately put up. The rest of the 



