New Yoke, January 21, 18 TO. 



To the Trustees of the American Museum of Natural History : 



G-bntlemen — As a contribution to the collections of Natural History which 

 you are forming for the benefit of the public, I take the liberty to offer for your 

 acceptance a collection of North American Insects of all orders, except 

 Lepidoptera. 



This collection, formed by me during my residence in this country, contains 

 about one thousand species of beetles, in about 2000 specimens and about 1800 

 specimens of the other orders. In all, about 3,800 specimens. 



Small as this collection is, when compared to the total number of insects ex- 

 isting in this country, I hope that it will prove useful in giving an impulse to 

 the forming of further collections in this branch of natural history. 



The specimens are, with very few exceptions, named and properly classified. 

 The only conditions which I put upon the acceptance of this collection are : 



First — That it shall be preserved from injury by being transferred as soon 

 as possible to entomological cabinet boxes, constructed upon the model used in 

 the Berlin Museum, and also in Prof. Agassiz's Museum of Comparative Zoology 

 in Cambridge ; such boxes, as a prolonged experience has shown, are entirely 

 proof aga'nst the most dangerous enemy of collections, the destructive beetles 

 Anthenus. 



Second — That the collection should be rendered as useful as possible by being 

 made accessible to the public, as far as consistent with its safety and preserva- 

 tion. 



The collection has been temporarily arranged in a cabinet of twenty drawers, 

 kindly lent for the purpose by Mr. Coleman T. Robinson, and is now ready for 

 delivery. 



A collection of insect architecture, principally galls, which I also intend to 

 present to the Museum of Natural History, has not been put in order from 

 want of the show cases necessary for its exhibition. 



I must distinctly state that I look upon the present arrangement of these 

 collections merely as a temporary one, affording materials for a future popular 

 entomological collection such as it is desirable to have established in the 

 Museum, a collection always open for public inspection, and affording every 

 person, desirous to learn, the means of acquiring a general knowledge of the 

 classification of insects, and of naming at least the more striking forms among 

 their specimens. 



I cannot conclude without returning my sincere thanks to Mr. C. T. Robinson 

 for the facilities and the assistance he most generously tendered me in the arrange- 



