[B.] 



Philadelphia, April 28, 1875, i 

 1625 Spruce Street. ) 



My Dear Sir : — For the better preservation of the t^'pes of North 

 American Coleoptera contained in m}' collection, I wish to have it 

 placed, after my death, in the Museum of Comparative Zoolog}', in 

 Cambridge, Massachusetts. 



I am moved thereto, not only by the belief that the organization 

 of 3'our Museum, and the climate of Cambridge, are favorable for 

 the preservation of perishable objects of natural historj*, but also 

 because I desire, in illustrating the Museum established by Prof. 

 L. Agassiz, to testify the strong affection I had for him. 



I need not mention the value which my collection has for the 

 future study of the Coleoptera of the United States ; for, besides 

 type specimens of nearly all the species described by me, it contains 

 specimens carefully compared with IJaose described by Sa}', Harris, 

 Melsheimer, Haldemann, and Ziegler, and all the unique types of the 

 three last-named authors. 



It has been also enriched by the extreme liberality and courtesy of 

 many distinguished European entomologists, who have sent to me 

 even the second specimens of many of the North American species, 

 which were otherwise unattainable, at that time. I have thus a 

 nearly complete series of those species described from the western 

 coast b}' Eschscholtz, Mannerheim and Maklin. 



I trust that it may be consistent with the funds of the Museum to 

 retain permanently the services of an experienced entomological 

 curator, with sufficient assistance to keep in order and protect the 

 vast collection now being assembled. 



I would suggest that, for ordinary study, type collections should 

 not be opened freely, but that, b}^ accurate comparison with authen- 

 tic tj'pes, a separate collection for eas}' reference should be formed 

 as rapidly as by purchase, or otherwise, material may be procured. 



When these separate collections become tolerably perfect, as must 

 result after a moderate time, the t3-pical collections would be seldom 

 consulted, onl}^ by those who were engaged in monographic work, 

 or in authenticating specimens for the more public collections. 



