l44 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



I now come to the consideration of the word Typical. This naturally 

 means agreeing with the type, but what type ? The author's type from 

 which he described the species, or a specimen agreeing with the general 

 average of the species in nature ? Surely it should be used in the latter 

 sense, which is the common every-day sense of the term. Some species 

 have unfortunately been described from aberrant specimens, but it is 

 surely absurd to call an aberrant specimen typical of the species ? 



In 1863 Grote described in the Proc. Ent. Soc. Phil, a species of 

 Tiger moth under the name Arctia Anna^ the hind wings and abdomen 

 being entirely black. Three months later he described in the same 

 volume what he considered to be another species, under the name Arctia 

 Pej-sepJione^ in which the hind wings were yellow, with black markings, 

 both specimens having been received from the same collector. Later it 

 was found that they were only varieties of the same species, "and though 

 Aufia is very rare, that name is given to the species, while Persephone, the 

 common form, which probably outnumbers the Anna form fifty to one, is 

 classed as a variety. Surely that is unnatural and ridiculous? 



What difference could it make to Mr. Grote's credit whether we write 



Arctia Anna, Grote, Arctia Persephone, Grote, 



var. Persephone, Grote, or var, Anna, Grote ? 



While the first represents a foolish worship of the Law of Priority, 

 the second shows the true relationship in Nature. Even had they been 

 described by different authors, I would follow the same practice, as it 

 would make no difference to the authors, while it would make the nomen- 

 clature agree with nature. 



NEW AND LLFTLE KNOWN BEES. 



BY T. D. A. COCKERELL, BOULDER, COLORADO. 



The genus Nomia doubtless originated in the Old World, where it is 

 abundant and varied. In America it has few species, though one {N. 

 Jenseni, Friese) exists as far south as the Argentine. The genus may 

 perhaps have reached America about the same time (and doubtless by the 

 same route) as the Ele[)hantidj.ie. 



Nomia ekitivensis, sp. nov. 

 6 • — Length about 8^ mm., anterior wing 6; black, with a strongly 

 clavate abdomen ; pubescence dull white (not at all fulvous or yellow) ; 



May, 1908 



