100 THE CANAL»iA.N KNTOMOLOGlSt. 



But southward there is a second brood of texior which is noted for 

 its variations. The most spotted of these, the extreme variety, is sup- 

 posed to have been the Bombyx cunea, figured by Drury in 1770. And 

 therefore it is said the name of the variety must take the place of the 

 specific name given by Harris, and till very lately generally accepted. 

 Both Professor Riley and Professor Smith have well and clearly 

 expressed the contention as it now stands. The former says : 



"The moths vary greatly, both in size and coloration. They have, 

 in consequence of such variation, received many names, such as ainea, 

 Drury; texior, Harris ; pu/idaf a, Fitch; pu7ictatissima, Smith. But there 

 is no doubt, as proven from frequent breeding of specimens, that all of 

 these names apply to the very same insect, or at most to slight varieties, 

 and that Drury's name, cunea, having priority, must be used for the 

 species." (Riley quoted in Packard's Forest Insects, pp. 246-7.) 

 The latter says : 



"In Mr. Grote's list of 1882, textor 2jr\d. punctata stand without 

 number, but in Roman letters, and therefore not as synonyms. There is 

 no doubt at all of the identity of all these forms. Prof Riley has proved 

 that to demonstration, if proof were required to the statements of earlier 

 writers." (Can. Ent., XXII. , p. 165-6.) And in his List of Lepidoptera 

 of Boreal America he gives : 



Hyphantria, Harr. 

 1096. Cunea, Drury. 



punctatissiina, S. c^ A. 

 punctata. Fitch. 

 congrua. Walker. 

 textor, Harris. 

 Candida, Walker. 

 ab. pallida, Pack. 

 But is there really no room for doubt? Is the proof so entirely 

 satisfactory? It might have been were there but one variable insect in 

 the field to meet the requirements, but with two or more the matter is 

 fairly open to question. 



Let us consider the illustrations that accompany Prof. Riley's state- 

 ment. I have them by me in that valuable work, Packard's Forest In- 

 sects, p. 245-6. First compare with the illustration of the Fall Web- 

 worm Moth on page 245, the illustrations accompanying Dr. Bethune's 

 and Prof. Saunders's articles above referred to — the disproportion in 



