164 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



All the others, such as Thor, Menetriesii, etc., are but varieties or aber- 

 rants. It would be easy to make fifty such species of Smintheus alone, 

 if you took them at various altitudes and locations. Some butterflies, as, 

 for instance, Papilio Tttrnus, of which I have great giants from North 

 Carolina, Georgia, etc., expanding 53^ inches, while others from the 

 White Mountains spread only 2^ inches, and there are all sorts of shades 

 of yellow, orange, brown and black, and yet who would think of making 

 a dozen species of these? I notice that Mr. W. H. Edwards includes 

 Par. Nomion in our fauna. I think somehow he must be mistaken, 

 unless possibly it was caught in Alaska." 



Herman Strecker." 



Feeling sure that the above letter will be of interest to many of our 

 readers, I have obtained Dr. Strecker's permission to publish it. 



James Fletcher, Ottawa. 



UNIDENTIFIED BOMBYCIDS. 



Sir, — Messrs. Dyar and Neumoegen have struck a snag in their work, 

 according to their statement in Can. Ent. for May, 1893. I am glad 

 that I am able to help them over one part of it. Of the " unidentified 

 names," Sa/igena personata has been long since referred as a synonym 

 of Raphia frater, and I am able to confirm the correctness of the refer- 

 ence. So Edema obliqua has been proved a noctuid, and an Arzama. 

 As Sphdia or Arzama obliquata, it is a well-known insect. Messrs Neu- 

 moegen and Dyar are following Mr. Kirby's use of generic terms very 

 closely. It would be a matter of some interest if they would inform us 

 whether, in the case of Hiibner's Tentamen, they have independently 

 concluded that it should be adopted, or whether they simply follow Mr. 

 Kirby without original investigation. So few of the working entomolo- 

 gists have accepted the Tentamen as authority, that it is not impertinent 

 to ask why they have joined the minority. John B. Smith. 



PROF. C. H. TYLER TOWNSEND 



has been appointed Curator of the Museum at the Institute of Jamaica, 

 in place of Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell, who has recently resigned on account 

 of ill-health. Mr. Townsend's address is now Kingston, Jamaica, West 

 Indies. We wish him much success and prosperity in his new position, 

 and trust that he will continue to favour us with his valuable communi- 

 cations. 



Mailed June 12th. 



