40 
THE PAN-PACIFIC ENTOMOLOGIST 
additional species of Hemiptera for his personal collection. In an 
1899 letter he asked if Rev. Wirtner might have any pentatomids he 
wished to exchange for species not represented in his Pennsylvania 
material (11). Upon receipt of tentatively determined pentatomids, Mr. 
Van Duzee noted a few of Wirtner’s misidentifications and 
emphasized the potentially new material for his collection, which he 
kept. “I will put in a good return for all of these specimens retained 
and trust you will not think I have kept too much. My collection is now 
so complete in the North American forms it is very difficult to add a 
new one and when I do get one I prize it highly.” (12). 
Later, Van Duzee hinted: “If you are ever willing to part with your 
Geotomus Uhleri [Cydnidae] I will give you some large showy 
species_” (13). He must have felt this too overt a suggestion, for 
he explained: “.... but I do not want you to consider this as a request 
for it. I merely thought if I could add a new species to my collection 
without robbing yours it might be well for both.” (13). 
To enrich Van Duzee’s collection, Rev. Wirtner sent him Hemiptera 
collected in Florida by Rev. Schmitt and also specimens he had 
acquired from Africa and South America (14). He suggested that Mr. 
Van Duzee write Mr. Edward Klages, an amateur entomologist in the 
Pittsburgh area who had recently returned from a collecting trip to 
South America and who now wished to dispose of some specimens 
(15). Van Duzee wrote to Klages but doubted whether any business 
could be transacted because he had such limited funds for buying 
specimens (16). 
Mutual Praise and Advice. — That Father Modestus was appreciative 
of the favors extended him by Mr. Van Duzee is apparent throughout 
his correspondence, but he did not hold the respected hemipterist in 
such awe that he was hesitant to give advice. He informed Van Duzee 
in 1907 (17) and again in 1915 (18) of the correct spelling of the tingid 
genus Corythucha, even though Van Duzee already had made the cor¬ 
rection in several previous papers (19). When Father Modestus 
learned of Van Duzee’s desire to issue a catalogue of North American 
Hemiptera, he urged that type-species, even ones not occurring in 
North America, be included for all genera. He further offered advice 
on what he considered the correct Latin form of family names, e.g., 
Reduviadae, Veliadae (18). 
Van Duzee felt free to point out errors in Rev. Wirtner’s (1904) list of 
western Pennsylvania Hemiptera but complimented him for “the 
careful and accurate manner in which it has been prepared_” (20). 
He then praised the work as “one of the best local lists I have yet 
seen.” (20). 
Problems in Meeting Van Duzee. — Several times Father Modestus 
expressed a desire to meet Mr. Van Duzee and examine his collec¬ 
tion. In June 1902 he invited Van Duzee to visit him on a proposed trip 
from Buffalo to Pittsburgh (21) but that trip had to be canceled (22). In 
