302 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



An historical investigation which I made, a few years ago, of the names 

 of the species of Drasteria, suggested that perhaps a similar critical study 

 of the early literature of the insect under discussion might throw some 

 light on the subject and enable one to arrive at an approximately correct 

 synonoray. What little experience I have had in this line of work leads 

 me to believe that there must be much similar critical study before the 

 nomenclature of the moths reaches anywhere near the stability that Mr. 

 Scudder's historical investigations have given to the nomenclature of the 

 butterflies. 



In i8io, Haworth described (Lep. Britt., p. 224) siibgothica from a 

 supposed English specimen ; the sale catalogue of Haworth's collection 

 published in 1834 indicates that he had but one specimen. As Haworth's 

 work is very rare (I have not been able to get track of a single copy in 

 this country), and as neither Mr. Grote (Can. Ent., XXIII., 202) nor Prof. 

 Smith (Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 44, p. 81) have ever seen the original 

 description of s2ibgoi/iica. the following copy of it (obtained through the 

 kindness of Mr. Champion, Librarian of Ent. Soc. of London) will be of 

 interest and value : 



" 185. subgothica. (The Gothic Dart) alis griseo-fuscis, costa late at 



dimidiatim, stigmatibusque pallidis. 

 Habitat in Anglia valde infrequens. In Musaiis 

 tribus solum vide. 



Expansio alarum. (Mr. Champion gives no figures.) 

 Descriptio. Prsecedentibus (sagittifera) affinis 

 absque punctis posticis sagittatis. Stigma anticum, 

 subtriangulare, posticum reniforme : ante et inter 

 hivc arcus niger qui reversus apparit in alis expansis. 

 Stigma teliforme prtvgrande a basi fere ad medium, 

 sed lineolis duabis divaricatum transversis interrup- 

 tum. Posticse pallidas fimbria fusca." 



No figure of the insect is given, and it is not definitely known if the 

 single type specimen exists, thus much depends upon this description. 

 Is there anything in it that does not apply to our American insect ? Does] 

 it fit any known variety of the European tritici better ? 



Except in Stephens's Catalogue, subgothica seems not to again appear! 

 in the literature until 1829, when Stephens describes and figures (111. Brit. 

 Ent., Haust., II., p. 126, pi. 22, fig. 3) an insect as subgothica, which he 



