THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 133 



HYDRCECIA STRAMENTOSA. 



Sir, — I am in receipt of a communication from A. Radcliffe Grote, 

 M. A., Hildesheim, Germany, anent the determination of Hydroecia 

 strainentosa for Canadian collectors. He points out to me that the fact 

 of its being under Apamea in our list indicates the source from whence 

 the name was obtained, as he was the only author that ever used that 

 generic term for the group to which stramefitosa belongs, proving that he 

 knew of its being taken in Canada, having received specimens from 

 collectors there to name ; which is more than likely, as Mr. Grote was 

 at that time the recognized authority on North American Nodtiidcz. 



The original Canadian collection was brought together from various 

 sources to be exhibited at the "Centennial" in Philadelphia, 1876- 

 Some material for it came from the Province of Quebec, which would be 

 largely from Montreal collectors ; and this collection was reviewed by 

 Mr. Grote before it was dispatched on its mission. From exposure 

 at Philadelphia and the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London, 

 England, 1886, what was left of it had mostly become worthless for 

 comparison, and it was necessary to replace it as far as possible with 

 fresh specimens. There is no evidence that there ever had been a 

 specimen of Stramentosa in the original collection ; if there was, it 

 must have been returned to its owner. Other specimens, bleached be- 

 yond recognition, are yet in the collection — from want of fresh material to 

 replace them ; so I reason, that if there had been a specimen of 

 stramentosa left in the collection, it would be there still. If such an one 

 is extant, it will likely be found in some Montreal collection. 



I have often thought when doubts were expressed about the correct 

 determination of some specimen, that a label with the name of the 

 determinator was of the very first importance to indicate in some 

 measure its reliability. My Hamilton collection was largely determined 

 for me by Mr. Grote, then living in Buffalo, and as I kept his lists 

 for future reference, when doubt arose I could turn them up and feel that 

 these particular specimens at least were correct beyond question. But 

 time and Anthremis worked havoc with some of the original specimens, 

 which reduced the value of the lists, as the specimens replacing them 

 were only my estimate of what were the same. 



J. Alston Moffat, 



Curator Ent. Soc. of Ont. 



