83 



OBITUARY. 



G. W. Belfrage. 



To the grief of the entomological world, this excellent col- 

 lector and amiable man was stricken by death on December last 

 at his home, Clifton, Bosque Co., Texas. The materials for a. 

 biogjaphical sketch of Mr. Belfrage's life are but scanty, but 

 from an intimate friend of his fir many years the following brief 

 memoranda have been obtained. He was born in Stockholm, 

 Sweden, and at the time of his death was about 50 years of age. 

 He was descended from an old family of the Swedish nobility, 

 and began life as a soldier, but the military profession was dis- 

 tasteful to him, and his early acquired love for natural history 

 caused him to resign his commission and to emigrate to the 

 United States. He first resided in Charleston, S. C, then for a 

 brief period in New York City, and afterwards, for about two 

 years, in Chicago. In all these places he formed large collections, 

 chiefly in Entomology, and in 1867 he made his home in Texas, 

 his explorations in that little known State being productive of 

 most valuable results. He traversed a large portion of the State, 

 and the many new species discovered by him bear ample testi- 

 mony to his energy and power of observation. His correspond- 

 ence, both in this country and Europe, was very extensive, and 

 it is to be regretted that that he did not leave behind him some 

 permanent records of his knowledge of his favorite science. His 

 health never very strong, broke down under the fatigue and 

 exposure to which he had subjected himself, and after an acute 

 illness of several weeks' duration, he closed his eyes upon the 

 world on the 7th of December, 1882. Mr. O. Solberg, who has 

 kindly communicated these few facts with reference to Mr. Bel- 

 frage, says of him : " When he left us, he left no enemies, but 

 many friends, all of whom will greatly miss him, and always 

 cherish his memory." It is probable that his collections will be 

 forwarded to Stockholm." H. E. 



