Dear Sir,—I had much pleasure in receiving your kind letter yesterday, and also beg you to receive my very hearty thanks for your kind and valuable gift of so many of your writings received on the day before. But now I am going to ask you a further favour. At your leisure would you oblige me with the name of a dictionary which would help me to understand them? I do not understand Norwegian, but, with the help of the Dano-Norwegian dictionary of Mons. A. Larsen, I can manage to make out what I especially need from Dr. Schöyen’s writings, which he is so good as to send me. But now I have been trying to translate your few lines on Charæas graminis (Antler moth) (chap. XIII.), and either from my own ignorance, which I much regret, or from not having the right dictionary, I have not been able to read them.
P.S.—It pleases me very much to hear from you that you approve of my reports, and it is kind of you to mention it.
December 11, 1894.
I thank you most heartily for sending me this useful dictionary. It is just what I was needing. With this help I can already make out short pieces of your reports and publications, which is a great pleasure and profit to me. It really was quite a vexation to see what I wanted so much to study and yet could hardly make out any connected meaning. I only just write now to say that both for your kind and helpful gift and your letter accompanying I thank you most heartily.
March 5, 1895.
I did not at once acknowledge your Report on Injurious Insects which you have sent me because I thought very likely you would send me a few lines about mine, and now I beg to acknowledge your note with many thanks. What a vast sum it is that you mention as the loss [about 5,000,000 Finn. Marks = ca. £200,000, in the years 1889-1891] caused by Charæas graminis, Antler moth (fig. [4])! I am so sorry that I am not able to read your reports, which, from the little bits I can pick out here and there, are, I see, so valuable and would help me so much. But please not to think that they are wasted on me, for I learn a great deal that helps me, and when there is something that I particularly wish to know I get the passages translated.
April 8, 1895.
I beg that you will never for one minute think of taking up your valuable time in writing to me at length about my reports. If you can at any time (as you have so nicely done in your letter received to-day) tell me that you think them serviceable, this is a most pleasant encouragement, for which I am grateful, but I know well what a tax it would be to write letters, so to say, merely for compliment. Pray believe me, I should indeed be sorry thus to trouble you. I value your writings that you are good enough to send me very much, and I got a serviceable Swedish grammar and studied it when I could get time, so I can make out a little now; at least so much that I can see where what I wish particularly to understand is, and get it properly translated. Accompanying I have much pleasure in sending two copies of my little brochure on Paris-green. I thought perhaps M., your brother professor, Odo M. Reuter, whose pamphlet on C. graminis I have studied with much benefit, might care to have one.
August 21, 1895.
Many thanks for kindly giving me a copy of your work on the “Zwei neue Cecidomyinen,” which I am very glad to possess. Your minute description will be a most valuable assistance in identification. This year I have only had one report of presence of C. destructor, but there has been a great deal of insect presence, and sometimes of kinds not often observed here.