2940 Correspondence of Mr. Bates. 



Extract from the Correspondence of Mr. H. W. Bates, now forming 

 Entomological Collections in South America. 



(Coutinued from page 2841). 



" Barra de Rio Negro, Para, 

 March 22, 1850. 



u After a long and tedious voyage I arrived at this place on the 23d 

 of January, and the present collection of five boxes of insects is all 

 I have done (with the exception of a few birds not worth sending) 

 since I left Para, on the 6th of September. I was altogether unfor- 

 tunate in the voyage, chiefly owing to the delays of the canoes in this 

 lazy country, and have thus missed the right seasons for collecting. 

 The dry season is the only time here when much can be done in Le- 

 pidoptera : now, I was delayed three weeks of the best weather at 

 Para before starting, and on the voyage eighteen days at Cameta ; 

 if 1 had known of these delays I would have engaged a passage in 

 another canoe at first : on account of these delays I stopped at Oby- 

 dos, half-way to Rio Negro, instead of going on straight to Barra, to 

 profit by the remainder of the fine weather : 1 was there from the 1 1th 

 of October to the 19th of November, and collected nearly the whole 

 of the present collection except Coleoptera ; the rainy season set in 

 at the beginning of November and continued showery till January. 

 I took a passage to Barra, wishing to arrive before the heavy rains 

 began, but was delayed again miserably on the voyage, from the 19th 

 of November to the 23d of January, arriving here too late to do 

 anything either in birds or insects. I have now resolved to stay for 

 the next season, and have agreed with Mr. Wallace to take the Soli- 

 moens, leaving the Rio Negro to him ; in a few days, therefore, I 

 expect to sail for Ega, according to description, a desirable station. 

 Mr. W. I believe is waiting for an opportunity to go to San Gabriel, 

 on Rio Negro. Between Obydos and here I collected a good deal on 

 the road when I took most of the small Coleoptera ; we stopped at 

 nine different places and had twenty days' hunting on shore ; viz., 

 at the sandy beaches of Maraca-uassa, the rocky hills of Parentins, 

 Villa Nova (which would have been a splendid locality for Diurnes if 

 the weather had been fine), Barrier of Cararaucu, Serpa, Mouth of 

 Madeira, &c. ; here, at Barra, during the few hours of sunshine I go 

 into the woods, but see rarely anything but common Para species : on 



