346 



PSYCHE. 



[November 1S92. 



neck, and narrower than the thorax ; the 

 description of the antennae of Zonitis 

 does not apply as you will see ; and the 

 elytra are not abruptly attenuated as in 

 Apalus (with the habit of the two last 

 genera I am unacquainted) ; the outer 

 division of the nails serrated beneath ; a 

 single specimen was taken on flowers 

 of the Heracleum lanatum on the sides 

 of the White M. 



If any of these prove new to you I 

 will send you drawings in the Spring. 

 My collection of insects is not at present 

 very extensive amounting to not above 

 1500 species collected by myself in this 

 vicinity. Of those insects described by 

 you in the appendix of Major Long's 

 2nd expedition I have the following, 

 Cistela sericea, Spectrum femoratum 

 (my specimen is also a male), Chaulio- 

 des serricornis, Dolerus inornatus, D. 

 arvensis, Fcenus tarsatorius, Sigalphus 



A Merited Honor. 



Rarely in these times do the great univer- 

 sities of the world confer their highest honors 

 upon students of the natural sciences; far 

 more rarely has it been that such honors 

 have been conferred upon those whose merits 

 have been won by investigations in systematic 

 entomology. The more noteworthy, hence, 

 is the bestowal, recently, by the University 

 of Heidelberg, of the honorary degree of 

 Doctor of Natural Science, on Baron C. R. 

 v. Osten Sacken — "qui de scientia entomo- 

 logica excolenda, novisque rationibus illus- 

 tranda optime meruit." The honor was all 

 the greater because it required the unanimous 

 approval of the Faculty conferring it. It is 

 an honor well deserved, and none will rejoice 

 over it more than the American entomolo- 

 gists, and especially the American dipterolc- 

 gists. 



sericeus, Chalcis microgaster, Tiphia 

 inornata, Pompilus fascipennis, Cero- 

 pales bipunctata, Eumenes fraterna. 

 Mr. Little of Boston has taken two or 

 three specimens of your Clytus specio- 

 sus near that place, and Mr. Oakes of 

 Danvers has also taken a specimen. 



Under the bark of rotten pine stumps 

 I have several times met with the mol- 

 luscous animal which I have sketched — 

 in its living state it seems to differ from 

 Limax in the complete destitution of a 

 shield, but in specimens preserved in 

 spirits it is seen that the shield covers the 

 whole of the upper part of the body 

 taking the place that the cloak usuallv 

 does? It does not agree with any of the 

 subgenera of Cuvier. I should like to 

 know whether you are acquainted with 

 this animal in Philadelphia. 



Yours, 

 Chari.es Pickering. 



Baron Osten Sacken's work has been 

 chiefly related to American dipterology, but 

 the ripe fruits of his wide experience, and 

 broad grasp of principles have enriched all 

 dipterology, and, I believe, all entomology. 

 Others there are and have been who have 

 won enviable honors in systematic dipter- 

 ology ; others who have written more ex- 

 tensively than he, but no one has written 

 more that will be appreciated in the future 

 than has Baron Osten Sacken. His work 

 has not been free from error, for that is im- 

 possible, but it has always been conscientious 

 and rich with suggestions. However radically 

 one may differ from him in certain of his 

 views, their cogency will not be questioned. 



Baron Osten Sacken's health has not been 

 good for some years past, but his friends will 

 rejoice that it has of late improved, and will 

 hope for many papers from his pen yet to 

 appear. 5. IV. Williston. 



