3450 Correspondence of Mr. Bates. 



with ; in showery gloomy weather, in certain parts of the woods, it is 

 certainly not uncommon here, but it is difficult in the first place to 

 take (especially the male), on account of flying high, and very few turn 

 up fine when taken, three-fourths being imperfect. I have selected 

 the best, and thrown many away ; for "perfect specimens you must 

 keep up the price, as I am sure they will always be valuable. Do not 

 think it an abundant species because I now send you so many ; it is 

 because I devoted myself one month to them, working six days a-week 

 with a youth hired to assist me, both of us with net-poles 12 feet long. 

 With respect to the rest, I send no private collection this time ; the 

 unique specimens, which contain many beautiful things new to me, I 

 keep at present for comparison, those I send having numbers can be 

 sold, the numbers referring to the notes I inclose: there are many new 

 to me. The Coleoptera, although small, I hope will prove good : two 

 or three Libellulae I send for the first time. 



My servant grubbed up a locality for shells, which I followed up in 

 evenings after showers : one of each species, with a number, I have 

 put in separate papers ; Nos. 1 and 3 are found concealed in the re- 

 motest chinks of trees. In fact, here only have I seen a real shell- 

 locality, which at once appears from the number of dead shells on the 

 ground. No. 5 is a water-shell : on land I have not seen any dead 

 shells of species different from the other four. I conclude that in the 

 low virgin forests there are few or no shells, as I have never seen dead 

 shells about : here in the valleys and ravines of the mountains of the 

 Tapajos I hope I shall get many finer and handsomer than those I 

 now send. You can send me the names &c. of the species; say whe- 

 ther rare, the price of each specimen, and if I should send more . . . 

 The collection I pack up very carefully, wishing to keep up the name 

 of sending good specimens. 



I see no particular difficulty in exploring the Tapajos, having al- 

 ready one smart young Mulatto now with me, and to him I shall leave 

 the management of the canoe, getting two Indians, &c. In two or three 

 weeks I shall make a short trip of a few days up the river, but think it 

 will be well to work a little longer here, as I have not yet worked the 

 hills behind Santarem, where there are wooded dells and streams flow- 

 ing beneath, forming a kind of locality I have never yet seen in this 

 country. 



H. W. Bates. 



