137 



Dasycliira ? Firmiana of my catalogue, but not a true Dasy- 

 cliira ; and, as its changes in form and color in the larva state, 

 are very great and remarkable, I have called it Astasia, Avhich 

 expresses its changeableness. At an early stage it has much 

 the appearance of the larA-a of B. opercularis, Avhich, Avith 

 the pyxidifera, belongs to my IICAV genus Layoa (from /j'w^, 

 leporinusy, having a short and soft-haired body, like a rabbit 

 or hare. The genera Lopliocampa and JEncJiceteswere formed 

 by me long ago, and I believe that I pointed out their pecu- 

 liarities and explained their etymologies Avhen you Avere here. 

 They certainly belong to the Liparidce, on the border of the 

 Arctiadce, to Avhich they closely approximate. Upon the latter 

 I have nothing to say, except that I Avish that, the larva of 

 Boisduval's CalUmorpha? Lecontei Avere known, Avhich Avould 

 settle the genus, and its place. Nudaria, as it appears to me, 

 is very properly placed among the Litliosiadce by Boisduval ; 

 and after leaving the family I think Ave ought to enter J:he 

 Noctuce by Apatela, and the genera similar to it, Avhich Boisdu- 

 val includes among his Bombycoides. 



I believe that I showed you a set of draAvings of the ner- 

 vures of Lepidoptera Avhich I made tAventy years ago. They 

 contain most of the genera of our butterflies, about tAventy 

 Bombyces belonging to the nine families of my sketch in this 

 letter, and some G-eometrce. These drawings have materially 

 assisted me in locating the families and genera, and given me 

 additional confidence in the arrangement Avhich I have pro- 

 posed. I have also gathered some A'aluable hints in regard to 

 the details from Dennis and Schiffermiiller's Wiener Verzeich- 

 niss, and from BoisduA'al's Icones des Lepidopteres nouveaux 

 d'Europe. Boisduval really appears to me to be the most 

 philosophical and best instructed of our modern Lepidopterists, 

 and I only regret that he has not given his vieAvs more exten- 

 sively, and applied them to Extra-European moths. 



I have compared my Psycliomorpha epimenis Avith the speci- 

 mens of Breplws parthenias and notJia, which you sent to me ; 



