PREFACE. 



IN the present publication the effort has been made to pre- 

 sent a list of all the described Lepidoptera from the faunal region 

 north of the Mexican boundaries and excluding, also, the West 

 Indian region. Lists of most of the families are in existence; 

 but all are out of date and some of them out of print. In 

 attempting a list of this scope, it was realized that no one 

 man could hope to prepare and have it equally complete and 

 authoritative in all its parts. In the Lepidoptera, more than in 

 any other order, students have specialized, and few collectors, 

 even, go outside of the Macro -Lepidoptera. I have, therefore, 

 secured the co-operation of Dr. Henry Skinner in the Rhopalo- 

 cera ; of Dr. Geo. D. Hulst in the Geometrina, and in those 

 Pyralid families which he has especially studied ; of Dr. C. H. 

 Fernald in the Pyralidina and Tortricina, and of Dr. C. V. Riley 

 in the Tineina. My own share has been the Heterocerous families 

 to the Geometrina. Within the limits of his work each author 

 is individually responsible. This does not mean, however, that 

 each species or even each genus has been critically examined ; 

 but simply that the arrangement expresses the views of the. 

 writer on classification. Dr. Skinner has placed the Nympha- 

 lidfz at the head of the Rhopalocera, and, in my opinion, cor- 

 rectly so. The sequence adopted is in accord with the more 

 conservative modern classification. To avoid misconception, it 

 may be stated that there is no claim that all the four-footed 

 butterflies are higher than all that are six-footed ; but simply 

 that the Nymphalid series as a whole expresses a higher type. 

 It is admittedly impossible to show in a mere list, the place 

 each group or genus ought to occupy in point of development. 

 Within generic limits Dr. Skinner has, in the main, followed 

 Mr. W. H. Edwards in the arrangement of species while not 

 considering it in all cases the best. The synonymy connects 

 with Mr. Edwards' catalogue of 1884. 



In the Sphingidce I have followed my Revision of 1888, with 

 slight changes, the synonymy connecting with Mr. Grote's list 

 of 1882. This latter list, indeed, is the one through which the 



