184 LETTERS TO DR. HOWARD [CHAP. xvm. 



writing you in as good form as I could wish) by a report 

 being published in several of our London papers that I had 

 been thrown from a carriage and met with serious injuries. 

 This is altogether erroneous, but the many applications, and 

 much writing and wiring to get the press to stop the 

 report, has been indeed disturbing, and it has wasted me 

 much time. 



With kind regards and all good wishes from my sister and 

 myself, pray believe me, yours very sincerely, 



ELEANOR A. ORMEROD. 



To Dr. L. O. Howard, Entomologist U.S. Department of 

 Agriculture, Washington. 



TORRINGTON HOUSE, ST. ALBAXS, 



July 26, 1894. 



DEAR MR. HOWARD, I do not myself know what 

 arrangements the Royal Agricultural Society of England 

 made with John Curtis. 1 



In the "Gardeners' Chronicle" for October 18, *86a, 

 however, I find at p. 983, vol. iii., the following remarks in a 

 short notice of the decease of John Curtis, which I transcribe 

 in case they should be of interest. After mentioning that 

 he had for many years been engaged in investigating the 

 habits of insects injurious to farm and garden produce, the 

 writer continues : " These he published in detached 

 memoirs in the ' Gardeners' Chronicle ' under the signa- 

 ture of ' Ruricola,' and in the ' Journal of the Royal 

 Agricultural Society.' At a subsequent period they were 

 collected into a single volume and published under the 

 title of ' Farm Insects.' It was chiefly on account of the 

 value of these articles that Mr. Curtis was awarded a 

 pension from the Civil List which was augmented about 

 three years since on account of the sad loss of sight which 

 he experienced." The note is given as quoted from the 

 " Athenaeum," and in case you should not have references 

 to Curtis having the pension he so well earned, I thought 

 you might care for the extract. 



Thank you for letting me know of Professor Riley's visit 

 to England ; I greatly desire to have a long talk with him. 

 He may have comfort in having such a skilled successor. 

 Special thanks also for your paper on the Army worm, 



1 The author of Farm Insects (to this day the most beautifully illus- 

 trated standard work in English on the subject) died at Islington on 

 6th October, 1862. 



