2K MEMOIR OF DRURY. 



u Dear Sir, 



" The promise you are so kind to make me of 

 sending me some curiosities from the coast of Africa, 

 I cannot help considering as the strongest instance 

 of your friendship I ever was favoured with, nor 

 have I the least doubt of your resolution of faith- 

 fully performing it when opportunities arise; but 

 give me leave to mention what kind of curiosities 

 will be most pleasing to me and what not. This 



1 o 



I shall comprise in one single word, by assuring you 

 my taste in these subjects is confined entirely to 

 INSECTS ; all the other parts of natural history put 

 together do not afford me a quarter of the delight 

 as this single class. Hence you perceive the most 

 agreeable present you can possibly make me will be 

 a collection of this kind, and as the method of ob- 

 taining and preserving them requires some instruc- 

 tions, I flatter myself these memoranda will not be 

 unnecessary. For this purpose I shall divide in- 

 sects into three several kinds : 1st, The farinaceous 

 winged tribe ; 2dly, The hard scaly winged tribe ; 

 3dly, The transparent w r inged tribe. The first in- 

 cludes butterflies and moths, whose variety is ex- 

 ceedingly great ; the second takes in all the beetle 

 kind, whose variety is not less ; in the third is com- 

 prehended all kinds of bees, wasps, locusts, ants, 

 water-flies, &c., all which produce, in their respec- 

 tive genera, such a number of species as is really 

 wonderful. For the taking of all sorts you will 

 find the forcep-nets (of which I send two pair) ex- 

 ceeding useful, and the most convenient implement 



