igOl] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 173 



Letters from Thomas Say to John F. Melsheimer, 

 J 8 J6- 1 825.— IV, 



Philad* April 27^ 1817. 

 Dear Sir 



I thank you cordially for the box of Insects you last sent 

 me, they came to hand in the most perfect good order, not 

 a pin was loosed, nor a member broken ; some of them I 

 had not in my collection, particularly^ the Aradus ; but what 

 is more important to me is that the insects you send me en- 

 ables me to identify those of my cabinet with the names in 

 your catalogue, all these names I shall preserv^e as far as I 

 know them unless the insects to which they are adapted have 

 been described by others under other names in this case the 

 name of the described insect must be of course retained be- 

 cause it is already established & known to entomologists — & 

 unless also your name is applied by other writers, to another 

 insect of the same Genus, in this case too, the name must be 

 changed to avoid confusion — I am very anxious that the vanity 

 that induces man}' naturalists to change specific names un- 

 necessarily, should be discountenanced, as I am convinced it 

 will be, by every true friend to the interesting science we 

 pursue ; for besides introducing much confusion & adding 

 exceedingly to the labour of the study, it is undoubtedly rob- 

 bing the first describer of his just rights. If the thing is done 

 through ignorance, it is another matter, & the innovator shall 

 then be held guiltless, provided he exerted himself to obtain 

 better information. — Some of the Insects you sent me I had 

 already described under names of my own these names I was 

 very happy to reject, in favour of those of your catalogue to 

 which your numbers referred me 



The Elater Noctilucus emits a permanent light so vivid that 

 I could make out to read large letter press alone — Olivier' s 

 figure of this Insect represents it of the same size as ours, that 

 of Phosphoreus about the size of your female Aterrimtis — 

 Herbst's figure of Phosphoreus is much larger than that of 

 Olivier & represents it in length about an inch & a quarter & 

 more than proportionally broad, he says in his description that 



