192  THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



pean iestacea, which Lederer includes under Apamea Tr. Probably the 

 true type oi Apamea may be found in nictitans, one of the original species. 

 Of neither Luperina Boisd. ( - Apamea Led.), or Ledereria m. 

 {^ Luperina Led. non Boisd.), do I know American species. Apamea 

 nictitans occurs with us however, from California to the East probably as 

 an unchanged survival, not only in the typical, but also in the varietal 

 European forms. Whether nictitans and certain allied species are distinct 

 from Gortyna, I, however, doubt, and it is probable that we have but one 

 genus which European authors call Hydrxcia Guen. Now the type of 

 Hydrcecia is micacea, as cited in the Species General. But the type of 

 Gortyna is already designated by Hiibner as micacea^ consequently 

 Hydrcecia must fall. For Gortyna Led., with its one species flavago, 

 which differs from Hydrmcia by its mucronate clypeus, the term Ockria 

 must be used, as I have pointed out. The objectors to Hiibner must be 

 told that Ochsenheimer cites him as authority, himself giving no diagnoses 

 to the Noctuid genera ; that the older Noctuid generic names are all in- 

 completely founded, that there is no standard for exact generic definition, 

 and finally, that Hiibner has given us more information and a better 

 classification for the Noctuidce than any author before his time. Hiibner 

 separates the Thyatirince correctly for the first time ; he is the author of 

 the leading generic divisions and names, Apatela, Agrotis, Heliothis, 

 etc., names which have been wrongly credited to his successors. The 

 North American species of Gorty^ia (including those separated by me 

 with nictitans) are much "more numerous than the European. The finest 

 species is our beautiful Gortyna speciosissima. We have two species 

 with mucronate clypeus ; one from the East, buffaloensis, and another 

 from the West. In ornamentation these species resemble the other 

 Gortyfice, but we must refer them to Ochria, together with the European 

 fiavago. Our North American species which most nearly resembles the 

 European fiavago^ is, however, my Catapkracta, but here the front is 

 smooth. The question then arises as to the value of the frontal tubercle ; 

 whether it may not be developed as easily as modifications in the color or 

 pattern of ornamentation. Such questions are beyond our present ability 

 to answer. We must use what characters we find upon which to found 

 our genera, but the difiiculties which the subject presents should preclude 

 all notion diat our present opinions are infallible, or that we have any 

 reasonable pretext to arrogate to ourselves a superiority in our classi- 



