WILLIAMSON: JOHN WILLIAMSON. 
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Sphingidae ; the grassy hedge rows for those of the Eggers, Drinkers 
and Tiger Moths ; and the heathy moors for such insects as the 
Emperors, Ruby and Wood-tigers, became part of our regular work. 
It was a bright and a joyous time. 
Our only Entomological triumph of any importance, was the 
discovery of a rich locality at the foot of the north cliff at Scarbrough, 
for the rare Carabid Beetle, Nebria livida. Previous to this discovery, 
but two or three individuals of this elegant insect had been found 
in Britain, which fact we learnt from one of the earliest numbers of 
Curtis's English Entomology. Under the impression that we had 
seen something like Curtis's figure, we turned to our cabinet and 
there we found a solitarj^ example of the rare insect, but could not 
recall where we had captured it. Two or three years later, hunting 
for fossils amongst the fragments of Cornbrash that had fallen from 
the cliff overhead, we stumbled upon a second specimen, and then 
remembered that we had obtained the first from the same spot. 
We subsequently supplied many of the leading Coleopterists of 
England from this, long the only known, locality for the beetle. 
Throughout the period during which my father held the keeper- 
ship of the museum, he was ever ready to aid such visitors to 
Scarborough as were interested in pursuits kindred to his own. 
Charles Waterton, Professor Agassiz, and numerous other emi- 
nent naturahsts were amongst his personal friends. But his 
delight was the greatest, when he was able to help any young 
aspirants after scientific knowledge. I am indebted to my 
distinguished friend Professor Flower, LL.D., now the lead of the 
Natural History Departments of the British Museum in Cromwell 
Road, for the following sketch of his youthful experience in 
this direction: — 
British Musem (Natural History), 
Cromwell Road, 
South Kensington, S.W., 
May 8th, 1884. 
Dear Professor Williamson, 
It was in the summer as near as I can recollect, of the year 
1840, when I was between nine or ten years old, that I spent some 
