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The Collections of the late Mr. Curtis. 



At the November Meeting of this Society, Prof. Westwood expressed 

 his regret that the collections of the late Mr. Curtis had gone out of 

 this country ; I join with him so far as Entomology is concerned, but 

 when viewed as a source from which some provision might be realized 

 for his family it is a circumstance for congratulation, since thrice the 

 sum has been obtained in Australia that could probably have been 

 expected in this country. 1 have thought it well that some 

 notice of the contents of the Curtisian collections should be laid 

 before you ; it is desirable, at different periods, to be able to ascer- 

 tain what a good collection really consisted of, and, having the 

 material in hand, I have used it for that purpose. I should observe 

 that the Curtisian collection contained only short series of examples 

 of each species ; probably if we take four as an average number we 

 shall arrive at a pretty correct estimate of the number of species it 

 contained, for I have only a memorandum of the number of speci- 

 mens, and I only give those of the British insects. The number of 

 specimens of Coleoptera was 3175, or about 793 species; ofLepi- 

 doptera, 2400 specimens, about 600 species; of Hymenoplera, 2571, 

 about 642 species; of Diptera, 1959, about 489 species; ofNeu- 

 roptera, 388 specimens ; of Heraiptera, 558; and of Homoptera 81 

 specimens. 



The Collections of the British Museum. 



The national Entomological collections have, at various periods, 

 been greatly enriched by munificent presentations, Walter Elliott, 

 Esq., presented a very fine collection of Indian species of different 

 Orders, their number in all being about 3000. General Hardwick 

 also presented a very extensive collection, consisting of insects of all 

 Orders amounting in number to about 2000 specimens. The Rev. D. 

 Morgan presented the whole of his African collection, made during 

 a residence of some years at Sierra Leone, about 1800 specimens, 

 illusti-ating species of all Orders ; the latter was an exceedingly fine 

 series of species, a very large number being at that time new to 

 Science. I must also mention the fine collection of American insects 

 presented by the late Mr. Edward Doubleday, in all amounting to 

 1250 specimens. 



It becomes my province this year to record the munificent gift of 

 Coleopterous insects by John Bowring, Esq. This collection, in 

 eastern species, probably surpasses in richness any hitherto formed ; 



