CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 863 



yourself had named them, added some notes and re- 

 marks upon them j but, alas ! I find none, so that I am 

 in a wilderness, and at a great uncertainty. But enough 

 of complaints. So soon as I shall have finished what 

 additions I have to make to my Supplement out of 

 Herman and Boccone, I shall more pressely and particu- 

 larly consider and compare these Maryland plants, and 

 see whether I can impose convenient names on any of 

 them without committing too many mistakes, as I must 

 certainly do by conjectures, if 1 should indulge myself to 

 make many. I am. Sir, 



Yours in all offices of love and service, 



John Ray. 



For his honoured friend, Dr. Hans Sloaiie, 



at his house at the corner of Southampton street, 

 towards Bloomsbury square, London. 



Mr. Ray to Dr. Hans Sloane. 



B. N., April 15, —99. 

 Sir, — I must beg yom- pardon for my slothfulness in 

 thus long deferring to answer yours of March 16th. I 

 have been since busy in inserting the collections I have 

 lately made out of Herman and Boccone into my Sup- 

 plement ; and in. viewing and reviewing the parcels of 

 dried plants you were pleased to send. Yet I would 

 gladly see and have some conference with Dr. Kreig and 

 Mr. Vernon, before I take any notes of them. I thank 

 you for the account of the whale, but have not as yet 

 had leisure to compare it with Sibbald's. I doubt not 

 but it is one of those by him described. For my own 

 part, though I have taken a great deal of pains, yet have 

 I made but little progress in the History of Insects. The 

 most that I have done is in observing the generation and 

 transmutations of the papilionaceous tribe, of which I 

 have found at least 200 species near my own habitation, 

 neidmn finite, every year bringing new ones to my 

 knowledge. Of these, as many as I could get the eggs 



