10 The Hummiyig Bird. 



of the Panama Canal. At the latter place, according to a 

 traveller just returned from Panama, they are working 

 steadily ; but I am not at all certain that they will be able to 

 complete the work without the aid of the European and 

 American Governments, because a large sum of money will 

 still be required, and according to my judgment, and the talk 

 which I have had lately in Paris with some of the principal 

 shareholders and bondholders, it will be very difficult to raise 

 the said money in France. They have been so much imposed 

 upon, not to put it in more explicit words, that it will be 

 quite useless to ask them for more capital. 



The only way, I think, would be to convene an Inter- 

 national Congress, composed chiefly of Governmental repre- 

 sentatives, and celebrated engineers, to discuss the ways and 

 means of conjointly completing these gigantic and marvellous 

 works. A. B. 



OBITUARY. 



Ferdinand Grut, Honorary Librarian of the Entomolo- 

 gical Society of London, died on the 19th July, 1891, aged 71. 

 He was born at St. Peter's Port, Guernsey. He w^as educated 

 at Edinburgh University, and afterwards was clerk under his 

 father, who was then Secretary of the Palladium (Insurance 

 Office). 



In 1852, he was appointed Secretary to Marshall's 

 Charity, which position he held until his death. 



For several years he suffered from angina pectoris, which 

 caused his very sudden death. 



In 1863, he was elected Vice-President of the Entomolo- 

 gical Society of London. He was one of the Secretaries from 

 1871 to 1877. 



In 1872, he was elected into the Linnean Society. 



Mr. Grut amassed an extensive library, and he also 

 formed a valuable Collection of Coleoptera, chiefly Carabidae. 



He was most genial and cordial in social intercourses. 



His valuable Collection of Carabidae was offered for sale 

 at Stevens' shortly after his death, and I bought the greater 

 part of it. Among many great rarities 1 found what I con- 

 sidered a new species of Manticora, which I described in 

 the Humming Bird, vol. ii., part 6, p. 45, and dedicated to 

 his memory. 



