78 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



My own experience exactly corresponds with this. I have seen many 

 specimens of cecropia, both large and small, light and dark, but nothing 

 that would form a connecting link between the two insects. As regards 

 the second eventuality, a hybrid form, Dr. Hagen says that he " believes 

 it possible that Columbia may be a hybrid, perhaps of cecropia and prome- 

 thea ; in favor of its being a hybrid would be the circumstance that such 

 a large species should occur so rarely, while the large number of Lepi- 

 dopterologists eager to secure this treasure operates against the idea of 

 its being overlooked." 



Columbia certainly is very rare, as yet having only been recorded from 

 three localities, Norway, Maine, and Quebec and xVIontreal, Canada. 

 However, between Maine and Quebec, and Quebec and Montreal, are 

 doubtless many places as yet but little known to Entomologists, where 

 Columbia may at some future day be found in comparative abundance. 



Dr. Hagen says : " The conjecture that Columbia is a hybrid would 

 not be worth mentioning, if there did not exist similar cases recorded by 

 the most prominent authorities. Of course I speak only of cases of 

 hybrids as imagos or caterpillars, from which imagos, when bred, have 

 been collected in the open fields. The facts just at hand (I have no 

 doubt that more are published) record caterpillars of hybrids of Saturnia 

 carpini and spini, found in Austria, according to Lederer ; caterpillars of 

 Sphinx epilobii, a hybrid of »S. vespertilio and euphorbiae, being found in 

 France, according to Rambur ; in the same country are found also cater- 

 pillars of Sph. vesper tilioides , the hybrid of S. vespertilio and S. hippophaes, 

 according to Boisduval and Lederer. The imagos and caterpillars of 

 Sph. phileuphorbia, hybrids of Sph. euphorbia and galii, have been found 

 near Berlin in several specimens. Hybrids of Zygaena trifolii and 

 filipendulce were found in the imago state in England \ hybrids of Colias 

 edusa and hyale, of Lycceua adonis and alexis, of Hipparchia arca?iia and 

 hero, of Coenofiympha pamphilus and iphis, of Vanessa urticce and atalanta, 

 are recorded from different countries/' 



This is an interesting list of hybrids taken at large, and proves (if 

 proof were wanting) that hybrids occur amongst the Lepidoptera, but as 

 there is only one Saturnian mentioned, I do not think it gives much 

 support to Dr. Hagen's conjecture regarding Columbia. I am of opinion 

 that hybrids found at large must have arisen from chance encounters of 

 the species that produced them, and therefore are to be looked for in 

 families whose habits would be likely to bring them together, and in fact, 

 with one exception, such is the case with the hybrids mentioned by Dr. 



