Talk:John Curtis (entomologist)
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Winnertz in Crefeld
Alexander Henry Haliday to Hermann Loew 12 August 1855 " I had left Ireland before your last kind letter of the 6th July reached Dublin and I received it in London. It has given me much pleasure to find you so well disposed to the object I had in view. I have deferred replying to it on account of the intimation of your intended trip to Carlsbad, because of nearby mineral springs that the necessity for which I lament but trust you may derive from the waters there all the benefits you can desire. Meanwhile as you have given me hopes that I may here thence from you and as I am thus much nearer to your supposed present domicile I write to inform you of my movements. When I left Ireland I had no intention of proceeding to any part of the Continent But I found my good friend Mr. John Curtis meditating a visit to Grafrath to consult Dr. Leuw there on the state of his eyes which have failed so much of late as threaten total loss of sight a sad infliction if it should unhapppily issue to an Artist and Naturalist I was glad therefore to encourage him to undertake this journey without loss of time to [and for I to] accompany him, as he could scarcely see well enough for comfort or safety either on a journey alone. I expect to be at Grafrath only this week and to remain till the end of the week that I may see him settled there if it is advised that he remain. I shall probably from that place accomplish a trip to Crefeld and see Hr. Winnertz and compare some of Mr. Walkers supposed new species of Cecidimya (spelling?) with the collection of W.[ In 1853 Johannes Winnertz published : Beitrag zu einer Monographie der Gallmücken. Linnaea Entomologica 8: 154-322, a paper not seen by Walker when, in 1856 he described many new species of Cecidomyia. Haliday, clearly aware of Johannes Winnertz specialist interest in Cecidomyiidae was not able to resolve the problematic Walker descriptions (at the time unpublished- the descriptions were shortly to appear in Insecta Briitannica Diptera, already with the printer) and many of the Walker species remain nomina dubia ]. Johannes Winnertz (1800-1890) was later to send Haliday a signed copy of his masterwork Beitrag zu einer Monographie der Sciarinen [Monogr. Sciarinen] 1867: 1-187 following it's publication in Vienna....."The Tipulariae Fungicolae, I am glad to know are now the subject of Winnertz' painful and accurate investigation, and I look forward to the appearance of such a Monograph with high expectation, as well as those you announce. I shall not fail to consult Schiner's essays, to which you refer approvingly, which I believe I can now have access to in a public library here [Dublin] "
