2 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Jan., '13 



He was chiefly known, however, as an illustrator of books 

 in various branches of natural history, such as Thomas 

 Say's American Entomology (1824-28), a number of the plates 

 of which bear his name. It is possible that it was to Peale that 

 Say referred in his letter to J. F. Melsheimer, dated from Phil- 

 adelphia, July 30, 1816, and published by Mr. W. J. Fox in the 

 News, volume XII, page 140 (1901), as follows: "On the lid 

 of the box within you will find two plates of insects intended 

 for my American Entomology they are all to be coloured — I 

 send you the plate of G. Tityus as the first one that I have had 

 coloured you will not criticise it with too much severity as the 

 artist is young & will improve." This plate is No. 4 of the first 

 volume of Say's work and is unsigned. Peale, at the time of 

 the writing of this letter was about sixteen years of age. 



Peale's association with Say is shown by passages in two 

 others of the latter's letters to Melsheimer. In that of June 

 10, 1818 (Ent. News, XII, p. 234), Peale is mentioned as 

 one of the party who accompanied Say on his collecting trip to 

 Florida, while that dated March 13. 1819 (/. c, p. 281) reads. 

 "Mr. T. Peale will accompany me [on Major Long's Western 

 Expedition to the Rocky Mountains] to prepare the skins of 

 such animals as may be discovered." Occasionally in the 

 American Entomology, Say quotes observations by Peale. 



Peale's collection of Lepidoptera is still preserved at the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, partly in his 

 original boxes in the form of books measuring 9^ x 11^ x 2 

 inches. Under each of the two covers of each book is an 

 inner cover of glass, to the inner surface of one of which are 

 fastened small disks of cork, a specimen being pinned in each 

 disk. The distance between the glass covers is about 1% inches 

 and the enclosed space is tightly sealed, but both surfaces of 

 each specimen can be clearly seen. One of these boxes con- 

 tains the type of Say's Hipparchia {^Chionohas] semidcd 

 with a record to the effect that it is the original of the plate in 

 the American Entomology. This record has been quoted in 

 the News, volume XIII, page 12 (1902). 



