THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 47 



out being certain of its origin. This species, from its grayer colour, is 

 readily distinguished from postera or asteroides (/. e. star-like ?, a queer 

 title for the moth ; the Latin name was probably meant to refer to the 

 European Asteris or to the botanical genus Aster, a food plant for some 

 of the species) and must be quite uncommon. I never saw a second 

 example. 



Cucullia hetifica, Lint., in Grote Check List (1875). 



In describing the type of cita, from Arizona, I had no longer speci- 

 mens of Icetifica, from Texas, for comparison. The discovery of moutance, 

 Grote, had led me to expect new western forms of the genus, and in the 

 present instance the sexual difference in general colour assisted my mis- 

 take. I have no doubt that the reference in the Revision is correct, and 

 that the Texan species extends its range to Arizona. I do not know Prof. 

 French's species, also referred here. With regard to Cucullia solidaginis, 

 Behr., in Strecker, if my memory serves, I had a note upon it to the 

 effect that it did not belong to this genus. If so, we have as yet no 

 typical species of Cucullia known from California or west of the Rocky 

 Mountain range. I must concur with Mr. Smith's remarks upon the 

 descriptions of Behr. in Strecker. 



In my opinion the Cucullini form a tribe of the Noctuince, sufficiently 

 characterized by comparative characters. These consist in the elongate 

 wings, the tapering abdomen, the fine and smooth vestiture, the hooded 

 collar, the pencilled anal tuft, the short and unarmed legs, naked and 

 lashed eyes. The European species have, in the group of Scrophularice, 

 the fringes of primaries dentate. The rest, with the American forms, 

 seem to have them even. The usually smooth larvae are very distinctly 

 marked, but are not easily distinguished upon the food-plant. In habit 

 and character they resemble HeliotJiis somewhat. The flower of a purple 

 double aster I had here, blooming in a pot on my window-sill, contained 

 the coiled and partially hidden full-grown larva of one of the European 

 species, which I did not discover for some days. The pupation is effect- 

 ed in the ground in a dense cocoon mixed with earth, the moth appearing 

 in the spring. The larvae, when disturbed, often make a jerking motion, 

 reminding me of that of the Hawk Moth, Thyreus Abbotii. It must 

 indeed'be said that the moths are not without some resemblance to the 

 Ch xroca mp ince. 



