212 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [May, 'l6 



red spot on the hind wing nearly obsolete. It is practically the 

 same thing as menetriesii Hy. Edw. 



Clodius is found in California, Washington, Oregon, Utah, 

 Wyoming and British Columbia. In the collection of the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia are five speci- 

 mens from Corfield, Vancouver, June 25th, males, and a fe- 

 male, July 2nd. Three males from California without accur- 

 ate data. One female labelled Columbia River (Peale collec- 

 tion). Of the baldur form there are specimens from Uma- 

 tilla, Oregon ; Fort Klamath, Oregon, July 2/th ; Kaweah, 

 California; Mt. Shasta, California, July Hth; Ogden, Utah, 

 July 1 6th, and City Creek Canyon, near Salt Lake City, Utah, 

 July 4th. 



Systematic work goes through a period of evolution first. 

 A number of names are proposed and then the value and rela- 

 tionships of these names are studied, some are retained and 

 others rejected. Of the species under consideration the two 

 names that really seem well warranted are clodius and baldur, 

 the relationship being subspecific. Whether the names of 

 aberrations should be retained is a matter open to discussion. 



Smintheus was described and figured by Doubleday and 

 Hewitson in 1847. The locality cited is the Rocky Mountains. 

 This species has also been given a number of names. Bchrii 

 Edw. is the variety with yellow spots instead of red. The 

 name sayii was given to the female by W. H. Edwards. It is 

 a pure synonym. Hermodur Hy. Edw. was described from a 

 dark specimen of the female from Colorado. W. G. Wright 

 named a form nigcr which is characterized by having the red 

 spots of the inferior wings reduced to small black spots. He 

 also called some large specimens magnus. We possess speci- 

 mens from British Columbia that agree with his figures. This 

 name hardly seems warranted. 



Nanus Neumoegen is a small form with the upper spot of 

 hind wing obsolete and the lower one reduced to a point. It is 

 much like Wright's niger only smaller, and may have been de- 

 scribed from extreme specimens. A series from the original 

 locality would probably show much variation. The localities 

 mentioned in the original description are "Fort Calgary" and 



