PREFACE. 



percentage of tlie American species, and I could thus readily determine 

 in most instances whether or not I correctly knew the iusects. As my 

 time was limited, I did not study Acronycta, which Dr. fiiley had already 

 studied on a prior occasion, nor Catocala, which Messrs. Grote and 

 Henry Edwards had compared. Outside of these genera I found all 

 save four or five of the Walker species, and was able to recognize nearly 

 all of them. Of those not found, Mr. Butler has seen no trace as yet, 

 and they may be "lost." Some few, I believe five species, described by 

 Mr. Walker, from the Saunders collection, now at Oxford, are yet un- 

 known to me, as I could not get to that city.* The species described 

 from Dr. Bethune's collection I have previously identified, and the types 

 arc now in the National Museum. In Vols. v and VI of the Canadian 

 Naturalist and Geologist, Mr. Walker described a few species collected 

 by Mr. D'TJrban, and afterward donated to the Entomological Society 

 of Ontario. These Mr. Grote has examined, and most of them were 

 identified with other described species; the others were omitted from 

 all of Mr. Grote's lists, and were forgotten. To the kindness of Mr. J. 

 Alston Moffat, curator of the Society, I owe an opportunity of exam- 

 ining these species, and have identified them in the following pages. 



I desire at this point to express my sincere thanks to Mr. Butler and" 

 to the entire Entomological Staff of the British Museum, for the ready 

 courtesy and great kindness with which they gave all aid in their power 

 to facilitate my work. A regretable attack of illness confined Mr. Butler 

 to his home during most of my stay, else I might perhaps have suc- 

 ceeded in finding a trace of the few yet unidentified species. I do not 

 at all agree with Mr. Butler's ideas on Noctuid genera, yet this does 

 not prevent a high appreciation of the work he has done, nor a feeling 

 of sincere gratitude for the good-natured readiness with which he gave 

 me all the assistance in his power. 



A knowledge of the collections now in the British Museum is the 

 basis of our knowledge of the North American Noctuida? to-day. 



Some of the species described by Guenee are in the Jardiu des Plantes 

 in Paris, and this I also visited. The museum and the collections there 

 were a distinct disappointment. Not only is it cooped up in numerous 

 small rooms, packed in inconvenient places, but for years past it seems 

 to have had little or no attention, and there is apparently no pretence 

 of arrangement. Yet with the kind assistance of M. Aug. Salle, I did 

 succeed in getting at most of the species marked "M. N.," in the species 

 General. I was in hopes of being able to get track of the Abbot draw- 

 ings, from which Guenee described a number of species; but 1 did not 

 succeed in this. It was a matter of great regret to nie that I did not 

 spend the time devoted to Paris, in visiting M. Oberthlir at Eennes; 

 but I did not realize how little there was of importance, at Paris, and 

 how much there was at Eennes. The brief time at niy disposal made 

 it impossible to repair the error and I went on to Berlin. 



* I have since, by the kind assistance of Mr. Win. Schans, identified tlinv of them. 



