Oct., '07] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 333 



Cook : In Defense of Incisalia henrici. 



r>y HENRY SKINNER. 



Mr. J. H. Cook, in the September, 1907, number of the 

 journal of The Xcw York Entomological Journal, p. 123, has 

 published an article that is in part unnecessarily abusive, dis- 

 courteous and untrue. I never take exception to just and 

 proper difference of opinion or criticism, and it is very un- 

 pleasant for me to be compelled to answer some of his remarks. 

 I do not intend to refer at this time to any differences of 

 opinion we may have in regard to species of Thccla, but I do 

 wish to reply to Air. Cook's words on page 127 of his article. 

 In ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS" I said, "Having- had occasion to 

 study some Theclas .... I came to the conclusion that 

 Thccla hcnnci Grote and Robinson is a pure synonym of irus 

 Godart." The following letter from Mr. Cook, dated Albany, 

 February 21, 1907, was received: 



"There seems, therefore, to be plenty of recent precedent to justify 

 me in vilifying you to the extent of my vocabulary and in heaping 

 great masses of obloquy upon your offending head for having had 

 the temerity to express an opinion contrary to my own. If, then, 

 you will kindly consider yourself smeared all over with vilification 

 poultices and buried up to your eyes in obloquy I will take for 

 granted the keen satire and uncomplimentary allusions, which 

 should be the answer to such an attack. By so doing we can save 

 valuable time and space and give the superheated atmosphere an 

 opportunity to disappear. Thus we may get down to the facts sooner. 

 And, now. that the preliminary controversy is over, you may be 

 interested to inquire what it was all about. Rut seriously, Dr. Skinner, 

 I think that you- must have overlooked some recent literature on the 

 subject, or you would not have permitted the expression of your very 

 remarkable opinion on the specific validity of Thccla henrici to get 

 into print. I enclose the literature!, to which I refer, and shall be 

 very glad to explain any points which have not been made clear in the 

 text." 



I replied to this letter and refer to his article in one of my 

 own in ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS, Vol. XVIII, p. 129. Mr. Cook 

 refers to the life history of henrici, as given by Mr. Edwards 

 in the following words: "Edwards, who bred what he thought 



* Vol. XVIII, p. 45. 



t Can. P.m., Vol. XXXVII, p. 216. 



