VI PREFACE. 



ideas, as understood in the rest of the order, than they have been in 

 any other general list, and are at least an improvement on these. I have 

 placed the Papilonidre first, not because I regard them as higher than the 

 Nymphalidse the reverse is the case but because the studies of Prof. 



A. R. Grote seem to show that they can not be interpolated anywhere, 

 having a very distinct phylogeny. The Sphingid;e are not radically 

 altered from the arrangement given in Dr. J. B. Smith's paper on 

 the group some } T ears ago. The Saturnians follow the work of Mr. 



B. Neumoegen and myself. In the Bombycoidea I have followed Sir 

 G. F. Hampson's Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phala?na3 as far as pub- 

 lished. The Noctuida? have been recently catalogued by Dr. Smith, 

 and I have followed this catalogue with sundry changes, largely sug- 

 gested by himself. Professor Grote has made some studies on the 

 types of the Noctuid genera with the view of revising their nomen- 

 clature, but his results unfortunately did not reach me in time to be 

 made full use of. Professor Grote also very kindly offered me his 

 assistance in regard to other details in the Noctuidtv, which would 

 have been of great value from his long experience with this family; 

 but owing to the distance at which he lives I was unable to take advan- 

 tage of the offer. The order of genera has, however, been changed to 

 agree with Dr. Smith's present views. The manuscript of the Geo- 

 metridse was prepared by the late Dr. George D. Hulst, and was not 

 entirely finished at his death. 1 have made almost no alterations in it, 

 simply completing it on the lines laid down. It forms his last contri- 

 bution to the study of this family. In the Tineoidea Dr. Hulst fur- 

 nished manuscript for the subfamily Phycitime of the Pyralidre, and 

 Dr. C. H. Fernald for the remaining subfamilies of this group, together 

 with the Pterophorida? and Tortricida\ The references by these gen- 

 tlemen have been given somewhat more fully than in some of the other 

 families, but this has seemed advisable, because in some of these groups 

 the latest catalogue is much out of date, and in others there exists no 

 catalogue. Mr. August Busck has greatly assisted me in the arrange- 

 ment and sequence of the Tineid groups proper, and he has prepared 

 the Gelechiida3 from a full article on that family, which is now in press 

 and will appear soon after this catalogue. 



The species have been numbered in sequence, as in the latest Amer- 

 ican check list. With the marked changes in arrangement and addi- 

 tions, it has naturally been impossible to preserve any relation between 

 these numbers and the old ones. A few decimal numbers have been 

 used for species inserted after the manuscript was completed. 



The habitats of the species are given in a general way. The term 

 "Atlantic States" includes the Alleghanian, Carolinian, and Austro- 

 riparian faunas of Dr. C. Hart Merriam's map (Bulletin No. 10, U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture, Division of the Biological Survey, 1898). 

 "No. U. S." refers to the Boreal and Transition zones of the Northern 



