3322 Correspondence of Mr. Bales. 



on the river, yet it is not sufficient to repay such long tedious voyages 

 and loss of time. The only branch-river at all practicable in the Rio 

 Negro, which Mr. Wallace is working well, 1 have no doubt: the other 

 practicable route is the main river to the Andes, a voyage from here 

 of eight months, even if no delay takes place. The Tapajos is very 

 unhealthy at present ; 400 Indians, out of a small settlement there, 

 having died of malignant fever in 1850, and the Government obliged 

 to send food to the remainder to prevent them from starving. 



Para, October 8, 1851. 



I now send you the result of my labours from May last to the pre- 

 sent time. I have unfortunately lost six weeks by three illnesses, but 

 during the last two months or ten weeks I have applied myself very 

 closely to collecting, and think I have got together a very superior lot 

 of insects, as to variety and quality of the specimens. Regarding the 

 latter point, I always bear in mind your repeated advice; but it is not 

 so easy a matter to get good specimens, as they often, when found, turn 

 up bad, and even when taken fine, flutter so much in the act that they 

 require the greatest care and long practice to secure fine ; then there 

 is the danger of ants, mites, Dermestes, &c. In the rarer species, 

 when only three or four specimens turn up in a year's collecting, 

 a fine perfect specimen ought to be highly valued. In the present 

 collection I send a fine series of Thecla, many species for the first 

 time, and some unique. In the Papilios are fine series of P. Sesos- 

 tris and Vertumnus. In the Heliconias and Nymphales nothing new. 

 The Epicalise were rare this year, and Para has no great variety in 

 Heliconian As to my private collection, I find it impossible to as- 

 certain correctly what species I lost in the "Mischief," so have set 

 aside one specimen of all the species now sent ; this will give you a 

 little trouble, to select what are wanting for my private collection, but 

 will not occur to so great an extent in future. Recollect that I do not 

 want more than one good specimen of each sex and variety of any 

 saleable species of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera, therefore all dupli- 

 cates may be separated and sold ; and when there is more than one 

 number attached to one species, leave all the numbers pinned to the 

 single specimen reserved for me, as they refer to notes in my books, 

 and will be useful some day. 



1 have made up my mind to return to the interior, intending to 

 make a short stay at Santarem, get a small canoe, and deliberately 

 explore the river Tapajos as Car as 1 can. Next to the Rio Negro, it 



