Miscellaneous. 157 



the country is very sandy and dry, with a scrubby, shrubby vegeta- 

 tion ; there are however some patches of forest, and in these, Lepi- 

 doptera are rather abundant ; there are several lovely Erycinidce new 

 to me, and many common insects, such as Heliconia Melpomone 

 and Agraulis Dido, abundant, which we hardly ever saw at Para : 

 Coleoptera I am sorry to find as scarce as ever. I hope however to 

 do better at Montalegre, as the hills there are near a thousand feet 

 high, and must I should think produce some. I wish to know what 

 is thought of Cuyaba in the province of Matto Grosso as a locality ; it 

 is at the head of the Tapajoz and Paraguay River ; there is a com- 

 munication from here, salt being taken up. I could also from Rio 

 Nigro get up the Madeira to Matto Grosso city, or up some branches 

 into Bolivia. Is Bolivia at all known ? I see in the Museum Cata- 

 logue only five or six Erycinidce from it, from Mr. Brydges' collec- 

 tions. I see there is a branch of the Andes in it the highest in 

 America, and its capital cities appear higher ground than even Bogota 

 or Quito. Either of the localities can be I think quite as easily reached 

 as the Andes up the Amazon ; at all events I should like to know if 

 the ground is open and likely to be good, for some future time, if not 

 just at present. I shall I think get up the Rio Nigro towards the 

 sources of the Orinooko, but I am rather fearful that all N. Brazil 

 is rather poor in Coleoptera. 



" September 14th. — I believe I shall now start for Montalegre 

 tomorrow, having a canoe lent me ; I have however found so many new 

 species of Lepidoptera, that I shall probably stay here a month on my 

 return before going to Rio Nigro, unless indeed I find Montalegre so 

 very good as to induce me to spend till December there. I do not 

 think that you need send me anything till I write again. Pray write 

 whenever you can, and give me all the information you may be able 

 to obtain, both as to what things are wanted in any class or order and 

 as to localities. 



" The Tapajoz here is clear water with a sandy beach, and the bathing 

 is luxurious ; we bathe here in the middle of the day, when dripping 

 with perspiration, and you can have no idea of the excessive luxury 

 of it ; the water is so warm that then is the healthiest time. Oranges 

 are about fourpence a bushel here, and are far the best fruit ; large 

 pineapples twopence to fourpence, but we seldom eat them. The 

 more I see of the country, the more I want to, and I can see no end 

 of, the species of butterflies when the whole country is well explored. 

 Remember me to all friends." 



I am, Gentlemen, your obedient Servant, 



Samuel Stevens. 



on the genus gregorina. 



M. L. Dufour has applied the name of Gregorina to some micro- 

 scopic organisms which live as parasites in the intestinal canal of 

 some insects, especially of larvae. M. Koelliker found that these 

 creatures were composed of a single cell, and are as simple as some 

 of the lower genera of plants. Some objections urged against this 

 monocellular nature, by Henle and Fantzius, have induced M. Koel- 



