180 THE CAXADIAX EXTOMOLOGIST. 



SVNONYMICAL NOTE. 



Dr. Boisduval has recently re-described Eudryas grata (Fabr.) from 

 Georgia under the name Eudryas assivti/is, with the remark : Cette belle 

 espece n'a pas encore ete figuree. It is manifestly unimportant to Dr. 

 Boisduval that the science of Entomology is pursued in America. In 

 this same paper (Revue et Magasin de Zoologie, 1874) the genus Alypia 

 is erroneously attributed to Kirby, and a citation is given : " Sphinx 

 octomacidata Hubn. Zut., 119, 120." which does not exist, the proper 

 citation being ''''Alypia octomaculalis Hubn., Zutr., No. 60, fig. 119^ 



120. 



Dr. Boisduval separates Drury's figure of Ura?iia rhipheus (1773) from 

 Cramer's (1782), under the new name of Urania Driiryi. This is, how- 

 ever, a simple synonym in any event, since Drury's species must retain 

 the name of Rhipheus as originally proposed. Cramer himself says, when 

 describing his Rhipheus, T. 3, p. 193, " Ce beau Papillon et qui est tres 

 rare, ressemble beaucoup a' celui qui a ete annonce par Mr. Drury dans 

 ses Illustrations of Natural History, Vol. 2, pi. 23, figs, i, 2, sous le 7iom 

 que nous lui donnons ci-dessus^ Guene^, in 1857, also draws attention to 

 this mistake of Dr. Boisduval's, then only proposed to be committed. It 

 has been generally conceded that Drury's species is the same as Cramer's, 

 and that the differences in the figures arose from an intentional mutilation 

 of Drury's original specimen. Dr. Boisduval's quotation from Lacordaire 

 would hardly cover such a case as this, in which a pair of scissors very 

 probably efi"ected " la creation." To find another '* taille sur le meme 

 patron," would argue, then, a lack of conscience somewhere, as well as 

 the sacrifice of a specimen. But Dr. Boisduval insists on other characters 

 to separate the two species than the absence of the tails, i. e., the large 

 size and the ornamentation of the fore wings of Rhipheus Drury. So in 

 this case we should have two species, i. e., Chrysiridia Rhipheus (Drury) 

 nee Hubn. ( = U?'ania Druryi^oisd.) and Chrysiridia Orie?italis (^\Nd\.x\%) 

 ( = Rhipheus Cramer 385, A. B. ; Chrysiridia Rhiphearia Hi' ' i.) 



A. R. Grote. 



Our usual acknowledgements of books received have been omitted 

 for want of space, they will appear in our next. — Ed. C. E. 



