68 CORRESPONDENCE OF THE 



mendable intentions; and if he may be so happy as to be 

 honored with the instructions of so great a master, he humbly 

 hopes to approve himself not altogether an unworthy disciple. 



As Mr. Stenbeck, the gentleman who does me the favour to 

 take charge of this letter, intends to travel by land, I could 

 not burden him with anything of greater bulk than one small 

 phial ; wherein I have ventured to send a few of the most re- 

 markable insects which I have collected this summer. The 

 large Hymenopt. which I suppose to be the Vespa crabroni 

 congener of Ray, seems also to answer to your Sphex bidens, 

 except that it wants the petiolus elongatus. The four speci- 

 mens which I send differ much from each other, and I judge 

 them to be the two sexes of two species. They have a most 

 remarkable difference in their sting (aculeus), those with the 

 longest antennae having the aculeus tridentatus exsertus, the 

 others aculeus simplex reconditus. The Panorpa coa cannot 

 abound more in that island than it does in this province. The 

 Gryllus turritus is not less frequent : antennae ensiformes in 

 all. The other large insect without wings I am unable to 

 class. It resembles the Mantis genus in form of the body 

 and legs ; but has not caput nutans. Nor can I reconcile it 

 with any Grylli. Sphex mauritanica is common here ; also 

 Sphex spirifer, -fasipes, clavipes, appendig aster. Of the latter 

 I send two. I send likewise two species of Clirysis : your 

 Chrysis bidentata is frequent, but I have no specimens now ; 

 and several Apes (Bees), of which I cannot ascertain the species, 

 except Apis violacea. Mutillce are not uncommon here. I send 

 one, which seems to differ from those in the i Syst. Nat.' by the 

 spot on the head and abdomen. The large Coleopt. is very 

 common here, and resembles the Lucanus cervus in its general 

 form ; but it has not the antennae of that genus, nor does it 

 ever fly. A much smaller species of the same insect inhabits 

 the sea-coast, where it devours the small Cancer pulex. I 

 have sent a Cancer brachyurus thorace latvi, lateribus 3-spinosis, 

 which I find not mentioned in your i Syst. Nat.' 



If any of these articles should be in the least worthy your 

 notice and acceptance, I shall be happy in having communi- 

 cated them, and shall be equally ready to supply you with any 



