244 EHOPALOCERA. 



Fam. HESPERIIDiE. 



In our treatment of this Family, so largely represented in Mexico and Central 

 America, we have followed in the main the classification recently proposed by 

 Mr. E. Y. Watson in the ' Proceedings ' of the Zoological Society, which is an exempli- 

 fication of that of Mr. Scudder. Mr. Watson's system, being based solely upon the 

 specimens in the British Museum, is not complete, but it covers a great deal of ground, 

 far more indeed than any other classification previously elaborated. The alterations and 

 additions now made arise from the necessity of grafting upon Mr. Watson's scheme 

 the names of many fresh species represented in our collection and not included in the 

 British Museum series. We have also been able to add a number of others from 

 Dr. Staudinger's collection, as well as from that of Mr. W. Schaus. Dr. Staudinger's 

 kindness in lending us his series has been invaluable, as amongst them are many types 

 of Herrich-Schaffer and Mons. P. Mabille, the sight of which has enabled us to 

 determine a large number of species with accuracy. Free access to the British Museum 

 has further enabled us to compare our specimens with the types of Hewitson and 

 others, so that on the whole we have been able to see a very large number of original 

 specimens, and the accuracy of our determinations cannot fail to have been greatly 

 enhanced by this means. We much wished to have had an opportunity of consulting 

 Plotz's drawings of Hesperiidae, but have failed in our endeavours of so doing. This 

 omission has been partially remedied by drawings made from such of Plotz's types as 

 are in the Berlin Museum ; and a number of specimens of Hesperiidae given us by 

 Herr Semper, and named in many instances from Plotz's drawings themselves. 



Mr. Watson divides the Family into three subfamilies as follows : — 



PYJRRHOPYGIN.E. — A well-marked group of closely allied genera confined entirely to the 

 New World and readily recognized by the large blunt club to the antennae, a 

 constant character. The cell of the primaries is also invariably very long, being 

 more than two-thirds the length of the costa. The lower discocellular is shorter 

 than the middle discocellular, so that the origin of the lower radial is nearer the 

 median than the subcostal. The wings, when the insect is at rest, extend in one 

 plane. 



Hespeeiin^e. — A group including all species having a costal fold in the male, all in 

 which the lower discocellular is longer than the middle, and all (with few excep- 

 tions) which rest with the wings in one plane. In some long-celled genera the 

 lower discocellular is shorter than the middle. The antennae almost without 

 exception end in a fine point ; when otherwise, the cell is short. 



Pamphilin^e. — A group including all species with a discal band or stigma on the 

 primaries of the male, and all species in which the lower discocellular is shorter 



