THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



and to follow them successfully through all their stages. Thanks to his 

 efforts, the reproach of ignorance of the preparatory states of our butter- 

 flies has been removed, and though much remains to be learnt, vast 

 progress has already been made. The first part of the third Series was 

 issued in December, 1886, and in October last we had the pleasure of 

 welcoming the sixteenth. Far from showing any decline from the 

 Author's high standard of excellence, this last issue may justly be 

 regarded as the climax of good work, both on the part of the writer and 

 the artist. All through Mr. Edwards has been fortunate in having his 

 wishes so ably carried out by his artist-assistants, Mrs. Mary Peart, of 

 Philadelphia, who has drawn most accurately nearly all the plates, and, 

 in order to do so satisfactorily, has reared most of the caterpillars, and 

 Mrs. Lydia Bowen, who has so exquisitely performed the work of 

 colouring. 



In addition to the great work that we have just referred to, Mr. 

 Edwards has contributed largely to the periodical literature of science, 

 especially to the Proceedings and Transactions of the American Entomo- 

 logical Society and the Canadian Entomologist. His first contribution 

 to our pages was published in the third number of our first volume, in 

 1868, and he has continued to favour us with articles of great value ever 

 since ; his last paper, in the September number of Volume XXVII., being 

 the one hundred and sixty-eighth which he has written for our journal. 



Mr. Edwards was born on the 15th of March, 1822, and will soon 

 complete his seventy-fourth year. That he may long be spared in health 

 and prosperity to carry on his excellent work is the cordial wish of the 

 writer and all his friends. C. J. S. B. 



THE "BOMBYCES": WHAT ARE THEY? 



BV HARRISON G. DYAR, PH. D., NEW YORK. 



It might be better to say " what were they ?" in an article addressed 

 to readers of to-day, since the name in its old sense will not be found in 

 the most recent writings of Packard, Comstock, Chapman, Grote, and 

 other authors. However, the group is adopted in our latest check-list 

 (Nos. 877-1459), although without its name, Prof. Smith stating that he 

 could not limit the group to his satisfaction. Also, as recently as 1893, 

 Dr. Packard published an "Attempt at a new classification of the 

 Bombyces," including in the group all the families formerly included, but 

 altering their sequence. Following the arrangement of suborders pro- 



