THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 17 



ON AGROTIS TRITICI, Linn., AB. SUBGOTHICA, Haw., AND 

 AGROTIS JACULIFERA, Gn. 



l;V I. W. TUTT, F. K. S., LONDON, ENCI.AND. 



1 have read with interest the paper by Mr. Slingerlaud, Can. Ent., 

 XXVII., p.p. 301-30S, and as my name is occasionally mentioned, I 

 trust to the courtesy of our Editor to allow me to reply. 



In the first place, I would premise by suggestmg that Mr. Grote had 

 more than the bare statement of mine quoted by Mr. Slingerland on p. 

 302, and was not guided by that alone. He had, I presume, at least seen 

 my notes in the Entomologists' Record, and in British Noctme and Their 

 Varieties, Vol. II. These M^ vSlingerland appears to have overlooked. 



I would point out to American readers that Haworth called his book 

 Lepidoptera Britannica, that he described no species knowingly that 

 were not British, and that the onus of proving that he did so rests on Mr. 

 Slingerland, and those who think with him. I would point out also that 

 although Mr. Grote and Prof. Smith may not " have ever seen the 

 original description of subgothica," yet I can assure Mr. Slingerland that 

 I had, and that as Mr. Grote, according to his letter, based " his recent 

 revision on the authority of Mr. Tutt," it matters little whether Mr. 

 Grote saw it or not, for he shifts the onus upon my shoulders. 



With regard to the species in dispute, I would refer your readers to 

 the quotation referring to the species Haworth described (vide, ante. p. 

 302), in which Haworth says of the species " Habitat in Anglia 

 valde infrequens."* Now, Mr. Slingerland has to face this point. The 

 American species does not occur in England ; the species Haworth de- 

 scribes does occur in England; therefore the species that Haworth 

 describes cannot possibly be the American species, by any laws of logic I 

 know. 



As Mr. Slingerland says, " No figure of the insect is given "; therefore 

 the whole value of Haworth's name rests on his description. The first 

 question, it seems to me, is not, " Is there anything in it that does not 

 apply to our American insect ? " for thus far we have not come to the 

 possibility of its being American, but rather, " Is there any British insect 

 to which it applies absolutely ? " and I say, yes ! most decidedly, yes ! 

 and the insect to which it applies is one of the endless forms of Agrotis 

 tritici. 



*This was written in 1810, and Mr. Slingerland does not suggest the possible intro- 

 duction of American specimens into England until 20 years later. — J. W. T. 



