THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 83 



I could have shown Mr. Elwes the points of difference in difficult sub- 

 groups, and could have named all his specimens " authentically." But 

 he preferred to take counsel of this and that " collector," with the plain 

 result that his specimens are not named " authentically," and that his 

 collection must be a hopeless jumble. It is clear as can be from his list 

 that in half the cases he does not know what he is talking of For ex- 

 ample : " A. Aphrodite, A. Cybele, A. Alcestis, A. Cipris, A. Halcyone. 

 This is a group of species or forms which are extremely hard to define ; 

 and though Edwards and Scudder, and most other North American Ento- 

 mologists, agree in keeping them separate, I think it is very difficult, if 

 not impossible, to identify them, unless you know their habitat." (One 

 would think that such cases were unheard of elsewhere. Habitat is an 

 important aid in determining between closely allied species, arid zoologists 

 in every branch, and botanists, take it into consideration.) I have a 

 pretty good series of all, except Cipris, which must be very close to, if 

 not identical with Alcestis, etc." Plainly, he does not know Cipris then, 

 a species closer to Aphrodite than to Alcestis. " Either such experienced 

 collectors as Morrison or Geddes did not know Aphrodite when they saw 

 it out of its usual range, or Scudder and Edwards are mistaken." Truly, it 

 does look so. However, it is not remarkable that the collectors named did 

 not distinguish Cipris, inasmuch as, in their day of collecting, it had not been 

 separated. " Mr. Edwards perhaps would say that my Halcyone, which 

 were sent by Mr. Strecker, and taken near Denver, are not true to name ; 

 but what can they be from that locality ?" Here it seems that locality 

 helps him to decide on a species. " What can they be ?" I can answer 

 this pathetic appeal : Halcyone is not " taken near Denver," but Cipris 

 is, and Mr. Elwes was viewing a Cipris undoubtedly. Now Halcyone 

 does not belong to the Aphrodite sub-group, as anyone can see by the 

 figure of the female in Butt. N. A., vol. 3, part IX. It has the peculiar 

 cut of wings of Edwardsii, and great egg-shaped silver spots. So, here 

 are two species our author is at fault about. 



And he is bothered with Chitone, " sent by H. Edwards from Nevada," 

 which " does not agree with W. H. Edwards' description on the under 

 side" (which is the important side), "and is nearer Nevadensis." He 

 never saw Chitone, a species not taken in Nevada, but in Southern Utah 

 and in Weber Mountains, and totally different on both sides from 

 Nevadensis. 



