28 



Weevil under the same name Bruchns faba.', and wrote bim under date 

 February 4, 1872, as follows : 



I have been expecting a fullilment of your promise to write to me. I am espe- 

 cially anxious to make the i^roper corrections as to the nomenclature of Bruchus 

 faba', in my forthcoming report; but can not well do so until I receive from you the 

 paper in which you originally described it under that name or a copy of it. Can 

 you not send it? 



Tbis, bowever, was toward the end <»t" tbe working- career of tbe cel- 

 ebrated New York State Entomologist, and we received no reply. 



Eigbteen years later Mr. Scudder bougbt Fitcb's manuscript notes 

 from Dr. A. E. Foote, of Pbiladelpbia, and gave tbem to tbe Boston 

 Society of Natural History. Mr. Samuel Hensbaw, tbe Assistant Cura- 

 tor of tbe Society, began arranging tbem somewbat after tbe manner of 

 tbe Harris manuscript, and among tbe note-bix^ks found our letter just 

 quoted. He found, moreover, notes by Fitcb bearing upon tbe point, 

 and was kind enougb to copy tbem and send tbem to us (October 7, 

 1890) as tbe first reference be bad seen to Bruclms fabce Fitcb. We 

 give tbe transcript from Fitcb's notes : 



In August, 1860, 1 received from W. R, Staples, secretary of the Rhode Island 

 Society for the Encouragement of Domestic Industry, a small j)arcel of beans infested 

 by insects, the result of my examination of which I communicated to him in the fol- 

 lowing letter, which was published in the Transactions of the Society for that year, 

 page 62, this volume having been issued in February, 1861. 



He stated in the accompanying communication that the stored beans in the city of 

 Providence were quite generally preyed upon by this insect. I subsequently learned 

 it was common in and around the city of New York and other places along the sea- 

 board, and from complaints made by prisoners in the late civil war of the wormy 

 beans furnished them for food, and which were so loathsome to them, I infer this 

 insect to be common through the Southern States. Mr. Riley having received spec- 

 imens from Massachusetts ticketed as being the Bruclms f aha of Fab., and finding 

 no such name in the works of Fab., described it as anew species under this name 

 in his Third Report, page 52 \^s\c'\ : 



Tbe confusion regarding tbe existence of a Bruchus fa bw Fab. is fur- 

 tber explained in Dr. Fitcb's notes as follows, tbe " Boston entomolo- 

 gist" being probably Mr. F. G. Sanborn referred to above : 



Specimens were sent from Rhode Island in 1862 to the Boston Entomologist, prob- 

 ably ticketed " Bruclms faha; Fh." The abbreviation was no doubt misread "Fb," 

 and thus this has become common in the collections as a Fabrician species. Mr. 

 Riley, finding Fabricius had described no species under this name, gives it as a new 

 species in his Third Report, page 55. What is here presented will clear this matter 

 of the misapprehensions which have been so widely prevalent. 



Fitcb's conclusion in regard to tbe matter is undoubtedly correct. 

 Tbe misapprebension was a most natural one, but fortunately tbe con- 

 fusion arising tberefrom was not very great. Mr. Hensbaw also for- 

 warded to us a proof slip (also found among Fitcb's notes) of Fitcb's 

 letter to tbe secretary of tbe Ebode Island Society for tbe Encourage- 

 ment of Domestic Industry, giving bis description of tbe Bean Weevil 

 under tbe name of Bruclms fahcc. 



