THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 189 



resemblances to the Heliothians, and superficially recalls Arsilonche. The 

 position of some of these genera is debatable, and the immature stages 

 almost entirely unknown. We may briefly compare the European and 

 American representatives of Agrotis. In Europe, about 120 species are 

 known ; we have a preliminary list of over 200. Divisions of the genus 

 into groups have been proposed on peculiarities of the genitalia, which 

 seem convenient, but are probably of less importance than the armature ; 

 hence, I would prefer to divide the genus, primarily, into two groups, the 

 species with unarmed fore-tibise, and those with all the tibice armed. 

 When all the species are compared, there will probably be found peculi- 

 arities in the armature of the front tibiae to warrant further divisions. 

 The relationship of the American species to the European is evidenced 

 by the identical forms, i. e , baja, ypsilon^ pleda, sancia, etc., then by 

 the representative forms, /. e. hartispica, phyllopJiora, etc. The species 

 from the west coast have largely a European facies ; the Labrador species 

 are found, with other Arctic forms, on the summit of Mount Washington. 

 We may regard this genus as of very general, pre-glacial distribution ; but 

 evidently a greater number of species feed, in the larval condition, upon 

 plants now found in temperate latitudes. Setting the question of the 

 allied genera with mostly few species aside, the affinity of th- two fauns 

 is quite evident. It is a little singular that the yellow-winged forms are 

 so feebly represented in North America. Their presence gives a some- 

 what peculiar aspect to the European fauna. The occurrence of yellow- 

 winged species is not unusual in the Noctiiidce. We find them in Onco- 

 cncmis, Hadena and Anarta among usually fuscous species. 



Tribe Hadenini. 



Leaving the Dicopid genera, which seem peculiar, we now come to a 

 group of typical Owlet moths, which differ from the Agrotini mainly in 

 their usually unarmed tibice and tufted, rougher, body covering. In the 

 first genera, the eyes are hairy ; in Fis/iia, the tibiae are spinose ; in 

 Copimainestra, the front tibiae have a claw. This latter genus is founded 

 for the European brassicce and its American representative Occident a. 

 Mamestra is a typical Hadenoid genus with hairy eyes, and Dianthoecia 

 merely differs by the external ovipositor. These two genera, or generic 

 groups in our fauna, show a similar relation to the European fauna as 

 with Agrotis. Whether our trifolii (albifusa) is identical with the Euro- 

 pean, may not he certain, but the genus has several representative species 



