322 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



chardinyi and gilvipetmis exclusively, describing it, as Smith did, as a genus 

 having unspined fore tibiae, and quoting gihipefiiiis as the type. He had 

 only three specimens of this at the time of publication, including the male 

 type from Anticosti, which is well figured. I did not examine the spec- 

 imens structurally. Recent investigation has disclosed the fact that, at 

 Calgary at least, fore tibial spines are quite frequent in this species. In 

 two of my specimens I can, without recourse to laying the vestiture, easily 

 see five spines on the inner side. In many others I can find from one to 

 five, with varying degrees of prominence, though in some I can find no 

 trace of any, even by laying the hairs with gasoline or alcohol. 



I have only two specimens of European chardinyi^ and can detect no 

 spines on fore tibiae of these, though they will require careful re-setting 

 before they can be examined to advantage 



I have not yet investigated very fully in other species referred by 

 Prof. Smith to this genus, but have succeeded in discovering a single 

 5pine on the fore tibise of two Kaslo specimens out of a series of coiifusa^ 

 beneath, and just in front of the epiphysis. 



Within the past year I have observed enough about the apparent oc- 

 casional variability of tibial spines to make me desirous of a more thor- 

 ough investigation. In order to do this, I should like to discover some 

 •effective method of entirely removing hairs and scales without injury to 

 spines or spurs. I shall be very grateful for advice on this subject {vide 

 recent exchange notice). The matter is important, as some genera as 

 used by Sir George Hampson rely, for their existence in Vol. IV, on the 

 existence of a single tibial spine ! 



189. The specimen here referred to is the species widely known as, 

 and figured by Holland and Hampson as alternata. I have never taken 

 another Alberta specimen that I know of, though it is common in 

 Manitoba. 



190. Rhynchagrotis p/acida Grt. — I have no good reason for suppos- 

 ing that I have confused more than one species under this name at Cal- 

 gary, and I appear to have it correct. Some of the forms in this genus 

 are more difticuU to understand than some of the most variable Euxoas, 

 but I feel sure that there are more names on the list than known species. 

 Hampson places most of our species in the genus Trip/io'.na Hiibn. 



192. Sir George Hampson's remark before quoted under this head is 

 interesting, as Prof. Smith subsequently described the form, from a single 

 male I had sent him some years before, as Aplectoides fales (Journ. N. Y. 



