THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, 367 



It has since been discovered that there are slight structural differ- 

 ences of the hind tibiae between insects of the genus Hyphantria and 

 insects of the genus Spilosoma. (Smith, Can. Ent., Vol. XXII., pp. 

 i6i, 163; Dyar, Can. Ent., Vol. XXXI., p. 156.) 



Drury's types have long been lost : Walker's have been destroyed, 

 or are in hopeless confusion. We may, then, pertinently ask this question, — 



Is it anything more than an assumption that Drury's tnoth would 

 properly come in the getius Hyphantria ? 



Several writers have supposed punctatissima and cunea to be 

 identical ; but in reality we have nothing to guide us respecting cunea 

 except Drury's figure, and Walker's description, which reads as follows : 



" White ; abdomen yellowish, white on the hind borders of the 

 segments and towards the tip, and with one dorsal, one ventral, and two 

 lateral stripes of black spots. 



" Fore wings with four irregular oblique macular, more or less 

 imperfect, brown bands. 



" Female. — Hind wings with some brown submarginal spots. Length 

 of the body, 5-65^ lines ; of the wings, 13-18 lines." Cat. Lep. Het. 

 ^. J/., III., p. 669n. 7(1855). 



Unfortunately, we cannot attach as much importance to this descrip- 

 tion as we could wish, because of Prof Grote's testimony as to the 

 perplexity under which Walker laboured. (See Can. Ent., Vol. XXXI., 

 p. 268.) We are, therefore, thrown back mainly upon Drury's figure ; 

 and we find it sufficient. 



In 1890, the Department of Agriculture, Washington, issued a report 

 on the insects affecting forests trees, by Dr. A. S. Packard. In it is an 

 account of the Fall web-worm, copied from Professor Riley's " Our Shade 

 Trees and their Insect Defoliators." 



On page 246, Riley is thus quoted : 



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

 in consequence of such variation received many names, such as : cunea, 

 Drury ; textor, Harr. ; punctata, Fitch ; pufictatissima, Smith (Fig. 87). 

 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 illustrated his position by cuts, under which we find ; 



