A VALUABLE COLLECTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19965, 6 December 1926, Page 3

A VALUABLE COLLECTION

WORK OF LATE MR C. C. FENWICK. PRESENTED TO DOMINION MUSEUM. The late Mr C. C. Fenwick, of Anderson’s Bay, was known to his personal friends as an assiduous and most painstaking collector in several directions. His most valuable work from a scientific point of view was done in the collecting of insects among which he specialised in the lepidoptera • (butterflies and moths), neuroptera (such as dragon flies and may flies), hymenoptera (including bees and wasps), and diptera (certain flies, gnats, etc.). With infinite care and skill and patience throughout his lifetime Mr Fenwick built up a collection of these insects which is estimated to contain quite 4000 separate specimens. Their peculiar scientific value lies in the fact that they have been gathered for the most part in Otago and Southland, and represent phases of insect life characteristic of these parte. In accordance with lier husband’s wish Mrs Fenwick is presenting the whole valuable collection to the Dominion Museum in Wellington. It is sincerely to be regretted that these specimens, which belong to this province, have to go elsewhere, but the position is that the Otago University Museum docs not cater for this class of exhibit, while, on the other hand, the Dominion Museum has specialised iu it, and already posseses 300.000 insect specimens housed in fireproof quarters. Another consideration which has led to the gift going to Wellington is that the capital city is more central, and the collection will be more easily available there to the experts for whom it holds special interest. It will bo kept all together, and known as the “Fenwick Collection,” thus serving as a fitting permanent memorial to a devoted and most successful entomologist, whose modesty has hitherto kept his work well in' the background. Miss Castle, of the staff of the Dominion Museum, has come to Dunedin, and is at present engaged in examining the collection, and preparing it for safe transport to Wellington. The museum does not possess at the present time any such comprehensive collection from the Sputh Island. A few of the special treasures of the collection Miss Castle will convey to Wellington under her personal care. A representative of the Daily Times was permitted to look over the collection on Saturday, and the veriest layman could not fail to be struck with the exquisite accuracy and delicacy with which the work of classification and mounting has been carried out. The chief feature of the collection is its moths and butterflies, anr-ng which there are many choice rarities, some occurring only in the South Island. There are, for instance, three specimens of melanchra grandiosa secured by Mr Fenwick in Central Otago. When he got his first specimen only one other was known to be in existence, and it is still of extreme rarity. There is also one of the mountain butterfly, metachrias erichrysa, and another of the rare melanchra oliveri. There are several species named after Mr Fenwick himself, including melanchra Fenwickii, so named by Mr Philpot, of the Cawthron Institute. In the trays in which they are arranged with such perfect uniformity in their cabinet the specimens are graded down to the tiny “micro'’ classes, the full beauty of which can hardly be appreciated by the naked eye. As they rest in their glass-covered cases they are an eloquent tribute to the accuracy, the delicacy of touch, and the infinite patience of their collector. The work could never have been done without a full equipment of suitable instruments. Some are indeed, as was pointed out. like the daintiest of little violets. One lovely little creation is appropriately named exquisita, but unfortunately its green colour has faded in spite of its being kept in the dark. Some of the specimens Mr Fenwick secured as caterpillars and fed them and hatched them out himself. An excellent series of leucenia purdii were obtained in this way. Some exceptionally fine specimens of the jet black mountain pluto butterflies were said by Miss Castle to be better than any they at present have in the museum. Their colour—or lack of it—is due to the fact that in the high altitudes where these creatures live, black enables them the better to absorb and retain the warmth from the rays of the sun. In other sections ot the collection attention was drawn to an excellent set of cicadas, sometimes erroneously called locuits, every species of which has a different note emitted by means of a most ingenious device. The wings of a number of excel singularis provided a notable illustration of the manner in which Nature enables creatures to adapt themselves to their surroundings. The strength and size of wing is graded according to the height at which the insect lives up the mountains, the strongest equipment naturally belonging to the most advanced mountaineers who have the most violent winds to contend with. AH sections of the collection contain many rarities and_ treasures. _ In addition to his activities here in Otago, Mr Fenwick was in correspondence with entomologists in other parts of the world, and at times contributed specimens to the British Museum. His enthusiasm as a collector did not in any degree check his generosity, and on one occasion he gave away practically half his collection to a fellow collector who had had the misfortune to lose his own by fire. In his cpllection, mainly New Zealand though it is, there are not a few interesting exhibits from outside. One of these is a huge richly-coloured Atlas moth, probably atticus indica, and another is a very pretty and largo specimen known as ophideres fullonioa, which was caught at Port Chalmers, As it does not belong to New Zealand at all, but to Australin and some other countries, it is thought to have come hero with a fruit generous and valuable gift, which will form so welcome an addjtion to the collections already gathered in the Dominion Museum, will be forwarded to \\ cllington early this week.