THE CANADIAN ENtOMOLOGlSl'. 2^7 



in themselves, and that as soon as they are broken up no man can judge 

 for a moment what the original possessor intended, whereas if we can only 

 see the collection as a master left it, we can understand at a glance what 

 he intended. 



To illustrate my point. In lumping the various collections together 

 the most ridiculous errors have been made, even with the commonest British 

 species. We have a common British species, very common indeed 

 within two or three miles of the British Museum, Hadena thaiassina. 

 This species every youngster here gets his first season. In the Museum 

 collection, as arranged by Mr. Butler, it consists of eight Hadena 

 (Mamestra) thaiassina, two of H. adusia and four of H. genistce ; the 

 last specimen of N. mat-gar itacea is a typical JV. glareosa ; the two last 

 specimens under the name of N. pufiicea are specimens of N. nmbrdsa. 

 Four specimens of Agrotis fiigr leans, var. carbonea, are placed in the series 

 of A. irltlcl. A very fine series of the grey type of Agrotis {PacJmobla) 

 hyperborea is in the Museum under its true name, but the " types " of its 

 red British variety, carnlca, are placed right away in another drawer, 

 mixed up with another species, P. carnea. Struck, apparently, by the 

 similarity of the names — carnea and carnlca — the two red specimens of a 

 distinct species have been put into the series of another species which has 

 no affinities with the first. So much for some of the errors of lumping, 

 which I can vouch for. 



Now, there is another little matter which should interest American 

 entomologists, and which, I am sorry to say, puts Mr. Butler's inability to 

 see even the most striking specific characters in a strange light. It refers 

 to Leucatila {ffellophlla) pallens and Z. stramlnea. Mr. Butler writes : 

 " Z. pallens, of the United States, agrees absolutely with the European 

 Z. stramlnea. The two forms have practically the same characters, and, 

 if received from any extra European locality, would never have been 

 considered distinct ; indeed, it is possible to find examples which cannot 

 with certainty be referred to one form rather than the other. Z. strainmea 

 differs chiefly in the generally more prominent pale longitudinal streak 

 above the median vein of the primaries, and the better-defined black or 

 dark markings. Not having bred both from the egg, I have kept them 

 separate in the collection." (Trans. Ent. Soc , London, 1890, pp. 660-661). 

 A reference to the British Museum material, on which the remark was 

 based, shows that they have not been kept separate, and of a whole row 

 thus named by Butler, only seven specimens are stramlnea, and not one 



