THE CA.NADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 70 



means by the "two forms of 7-ctecta;" but if he means retecta, 

 Grt., and liicttiosa, Hulst, then, in view of what he says after, 

 luduosa becomes a variety of retecta, Grt. 3rd. Prof French 

 says " Flebilis is not a variety of retecta,^' etc. " Dr. Strecker's 

 figure, pi. 9, f 4, is not flebilis^ but a small form of Desperata'' 

 etc. Dr. Strecker does not call figure i^, flebilis, but a variety of it. It is, 

 however, except in the black dashes, as near as can be the exact counter- 

 part of pi. 9, fig. 3, which is flebilis, taken from Mr. Grote's type. Also 

 these two, save in the black dashes, are the counterparts of pi. 9, fig. 2, 

 which is retecta, and which is from Mr. Grote's type. Having seen the 

 types of both retecta and flebilis I can bear witness that the figures are 

 very excellent. Mr. Grote had among his types of retecta one or more 

 specimens of luctuosa, Hulst, but his description is of the form figured by 

 Dr. Strecker. 4th. I am glad to learn more of Uluhime, Streck. I have 

 seen the type, have one of the specimens from which the description was 

 made, and so know the insect. At the time of publishing my synopsis in 

 the Brooklyn Bulletin, Vol. Vll., 1884, pp. 13-56, I regarded it as a 

 variety of lacrymosa, as did also Dr. Strecker. Let me add that very 

 few of all the so-called varieties of the U. Catocalae are varieties in the 

 scientific sense. They are simply colour variations, and the continuance 

 of their names is, in the majority of cases, only a convenience, and without 

 scientific authority. Geo. D. Hulst, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



SECTION F OF THE A. A. A. S. 



Dear Sir : In the January (1892) number of the Botanical Gazette, 

 Dr. B. D. Halsted, Secretary of Section F of the Association, suggests the 

 formation of a Botanical Section, to be separated from Section F. This 

 is a matter in which entomologists have some interest, and concerning 

 which it might be well to have an expression of opinion. All who have 

 attended recent meetings of the American Association must have noticed 

 what a remarkable development of interest there has been in both botany 

 and entomology, and how crowded were the programmes, not only of Sec- 

 tion F, but of the Clubs. At the Washington meeting the writer was on 

 the Sectional Committee, which passed on the papers offered, and even 

 after excluding all of doubtful value or interest, it left so many that 

 a proper presentation was out of the question. A most interesting 

 series of papers on parasitism in insects was read at breakneck speed, 

 and not a word of discussion was allowed. I myself had three 

 papers, for which I had prepared charts in illustration, and which 



