138 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



one single feature in this masterful work, namely, the erection of genera 

 ( Ftychoirix, Catamempsis) on secondary sexual characters alone, and this 

 in spite of His Lordship's own statement in his remarks (page 738-9), 

 that such characters are of very doubtful value, and especially so in the 

 Hawaiian fauna, where the most embarrassing plasticity of such characters 

 prevails. Undoubtedly, other sounder structural characters, common to 

 both sexes, could have been found, or if not, the genera are, in the writer's 

 judgment, not justified. To him it seems essential, for a sound appre- 

 ciation of the natural grouping of the Microlepidopte7-a^ that we get away 

 altogether from these superficial characters, however tempting, and rely 

 solely on the more subtle but dependable internal modifications presented 

 in the venation. 



In his discussion of the variability of the secondary sexual characters, 

 Lord Walsingham also comments on the variability in the Hawaiian fauna 

 of certain other, normally dependable, generic characters. Some of these 

 the writer is not able to discuss without a more extended study of 

 the fauna than is at present possible ; but the one case of instability 

 of venation (in Diplosara, Meyrick, pages 646-7), appears to be nothing 

 more than might be expected, or than is found in other unspecialized 

 genera (a similar case is Monopis) ; these conditions do not in the least 

 lessen the value of the venation as a dependable character, only the same 

 importance must not be given to certain fluctuations in generalized 

 families, such as the Tiiieidce and Hypoiiomeiitidce^ as would be warranted 

 in more crystallized families, such as the Gelechiidce or CEcophoridce. 



The {^"^ dissenting opinions on certain details that may be found in 

 the above notes do not detract from the fullest general appreciation of 

 Lord Walsingham's excellent work. It has been an enormous and very 

 difftcult study, and he is to be sincerely congratulated on the result, which 

 casts great credit on the author and on his valuable assistant, Mr, J. 

 Hartley Durrant, whose important share in the work is liberally credited 

 by Lord Walsingham. — August Busck. 



Journal of Economic Entomology : Official organ of the Association 

 of Economic Entomologists. Concord, N. H. Volume I, No. I. 

 February, 1908. 



We are glad to welcome this first number of a new serial publication 

 devoted to Economic Entomology. Since its formation, twenty years ago, 



