The Rise and Fall of the Boston Society of Natural History

Hesperia illinoisDodge (Hesperiidae): An Invalid Neotype and the Designation of a Lectotype

“…According to Scudder (1868), the type (or types) of acanootus came from the fellow Massachusetts entomologist Francis G. Sanborn (1838-1884), who collected the species in the vicinity of Lexington, Massachusetts, during the month of August (unusually late for E. bimacula). Sanborn was then working as an assistant in the museum of the Boston Society of Natural History (BSNH) (Dickinson 1885), thus it is possible that his specimens of acanootus were deposited in the collection of BSNH, whose insects were given to Boston University during the first half of the 20th century (Boston, Massachusetts; BU) (Johnson 2004). Although specimens from Sanborn exist in the BU collection, no E. bimacula from Lexington, Massachusetts, were found.…”

“In Order to Study Conchology”: Andrew Garrett (1823–1887) and His 1859 Expedition to the Kingsmill Islands (Kiribati)

“…6 Crew list for the brig Bogota, Register for Seamen's Names and Descriptions, 1840, property of the New Bedford Port Society, held on location at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford, Massachusetts (Mark D. Procknik, New Bedford Whaling Museum, personal communication, 12 November 2019). 7 The Boston Society of Natural History, an organization dedicated to the study and promotion of natural history founded in 1830 (see Johnson, 2004). 8 A reference to Jacob Bigelow's (1787-1879) Florula bostoniensis, first published in 1814, with subsequent editions in 1824 and 1840.…”

The identity of Aphodius nodifrons Randall, 1838 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) from Maine, United States of America, with designation of the lectotype and handwriting examples

“…The Harris collection went to the Boston Society of Natural History, from there to Boston University (Johnson 2004), and thence partly or completely to the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard, where the historical material from the Boston University collection was deposited (J. Traniello, Boston University, personal communication). Harris commonly exchanged material with colleagues in North America and Europe (Elliott 2008), presenting the possibility that both Harris and Randall specimens might be preserved in these various collections.…”