38 



and it was very pleasant to converse with the genial doctor on " men 

 and things." Jlis able assistant, Mr. Mantero, labours among the 

 Hymenoptera. The Coleoptera and Rhynchota, at least, are well 

 known for the beautiful condition in which they are preserved, and 

 it may be of interest to note that their preparation for the cabinet is 

 the care of a charming young Italian lady. 



The Roman Campagna is, of course, celebrated for the labours of 

 Grassi on malaria ; otherwise there is, I believe, little entomological 

 work effected at Rome. Florence, which I did not visit, is the 

 headquarters of the Societa Entomologica Italiana, founded in 1869. 

 Adolfo Targioni-Tozzetti, who died at an advanced age last Septem- 

 ber, and A. H. Haliday were two of the original members. 



At Naples I regret that my visits to Vesuvius and Pompeii left me 

 no time to make myself known to any of the naturalists of the 

 flourishing Zoological Station, and I regret, too, that owing to my 

 hurried visit I did not realise that Portici was quite close, for here 

 reside two well-known entomologists — Antonio Berlese, one of our 

 foremost Coccid workers, and Ribaga, the discoverer of " Ribaga's 

 Organ," a remarkable and at present little understood stridulating (?) 

 organ in the female bed-bug {Klinophilos kchdarms). The labours 

 of these two men are very interesting to me, and I was chagrined 

 that I could not improve upon my correspondential acquaintance. 



At Turin there is quite a galaxy of men interested in insects, 

 though the principal labours of some are in other directions. Dr. 

 Festa, a well-known South American traveller ; Noelli, a student of 

 the University who has written on Rhynchota ; and Francesco 

 P'erraro, a botanist who made some interesting notes on the habits of 

 Mesovelia fuscata, were not in town ; but I was fortunate in catching, 

 in the very act of leaving his door, Prof. Ermanno (iiglio-Tos (now 

 Professor of Zoology at Cagliari), who labours at Orthoptera, 

 Diptera, etc., and who was so kind as to devote a great deal of his 

 time to me during the two or three days I stayed at the fine northern 

 city. I also met Dr. Camerano, herpetologist and Director of the 

 Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy, who is known to 

 entomologists for his researches on the habits of Forfiaila, etc. ; Dr, 

 Borelli, the celebrated traveller in South America, whose collections 

 enrich the museum, and who, since his return, works at Forficulidce 

 and Scorpions. The museum is housed in the magnificent Carignano 

 Palace ; the entomological collections seem extensive, but only 

 partially worked out yet. The " BoUettino," now in its eighteenth 

 volume, contains much valuable matter. Achille Griffini, who for- 

 merly worked here in all branches of entomology, is now Professor 

 of Natural Science at Udine. 



At Pavia I was welcomed by my correspondent. Dr. Angelo de 

 Carlini, a well-known Rhynchotist, and I was so fortunate as to 

 receive an invitation to stay with him, which I accepted during the 

 two or three days of my sojourn. The genial doctor is Professor of 

 Zoology in the University, one of the most ancient and celebrated 



