Dresden
Dresden, 5 February 1895
MY RESPECTABLE DOCTOR,
It is almost two months now that I have received your last (second) remittance of insects without having informed you in detail about the matter.
In the first place I ought to inform you about the condition of the specimens which unfortunately leaves much to be desired. At that time you did not yet have my instructions and I hope that the next remittance will turn out better. A great number of the insects were moth-eaten and possibly this took place during the trip. Even those insects which were placed in the canes have suffered much from the bites of other insects and were mildewed. The insects were placed in the canes still fresh and some are in a state of decomposition for the exclusion of air that hindered their drying up. For easier handling I would recommend to you that the insects be preserved in brandy or alcohol. A large number of these can be put in a bottle, but the precaution must be taken to fill the bottle with pieces of cloth so that the insects may not be thrown from one side to the other.
With regard to the insects sent, I have to tell you now that what at the beginning was thought to be a new kind of butterflies, turned out that it was not. It was only a different variety of the specie that we did not have yet and consequently I presumed that it was a new class.
With great joy I inform you however that the last remittance contains a new species of beetles that you sent us under the title of miscellany.
Other better species are designated as Pandan beetles (Agestrata luzonica Esch.) and salaginto.
I will describe and photograph the new beetle, but as it arrived on the sixth… and the species are very rich in varieties, some of which are very difficult to recognize, I believed, for practical reasons, not to dispense with giving it its name without choosing a name that also determined the variety, namely, Atonia (Trotaltien) achroplagiata. I do not have the least doubt that your next remittance will bring something new and I would then have the opportunity to fulfill my promise. If you succeed to make the natives collect, there would undoubtedly be found there many new varieties, for finding a new one among 13 beetles is an extraordinarily favorable result. If you succeed to collect some hundreds of beetles, the result would be very rewarding for science.
The insect that you believe has not been classified is one of the species of fire-flies of the genus Hotinus and it may be neither new nor rare.
You can imagine how anxious I am to receive your next remittance that Dr. Schadenberg already advised me about and I hope it will not be deposited in Manila for a long time. With the best greetings of
Yours very faithfully,
DR. K. M. HELLER
P.S
I also understand French, in case you wish to use this language.
04-840 [Misc.]