48 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Feb., '08 



that it is inaccurate in that the said description would exclude 

 the female. The absence of a basal dash is, in this case at 

 least, not a specific but a sexual characteristic. 



In addition to the above facts it may also be stated that two 

 females of C. dejecta were taken in the same locality in 1906, 

 which have in each case a basal dash, and that a letter from 

 Mr. Wm. Beutenmuller informs me that the only female of 

 C. dejecta in the collection of the Am. Museum of Nat. Hist, 

 also has a basal dash. 



The males, in the series referred to, vary in expanse from 

 70 to 78 mm., with an average of 73.4 mm., with the excep- 

 tion of one individual which measures only 59 mm. The 

 females vary from 66 to 79 mm. in expanse, with an average 

 of 72.2 mm. 



There is considerable variation shown by both males and 

 females of this species. Some of the males agree quite closely 

 with the descriptions of Strecker and of Hulst. In a number 

 of instances there is, however, a faint indication of a tendency 

 toward the formation of a basal dash, and in many cases there 

 is also a slight apical shading. This apical shading Strecker 

 states to have been absent in the three specimens which he had 

 before him. The females are much more heavily marked with 

 black, as a rule, than is the case with the males, and the apical 

 shading is in many cases quite pronounced. 



The most distinctive characteristic in both sexes is the very 

 striking whitish area on the costal portion of the primaries 

 just before the reniform. This area, which is much whiter 

 than any other portion of the wing, extends from the t. a. line 

 to the reniform, and is bounded below by a horizontal black 

 shading, extending from the t. a. line to the point where the 

 reniform and subreniforni meet. This whitish patch is very 

 conspicuous because of its contrasting black border and, to- 

 gether with the very dark reniform, affords an easy means of 

 distinguishing this species from others somewhat resembling 

 it in appearance. 



The above locality yielded also a noteworthy variation of 

 C. gracilis Edwards, of the form showing but little suffusion 

 of the primaries, in which the median band of the secondaries 



