82 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Agrotis opipara. 

 When Mr. Morrison described his opipara and scropulana from Mt. 

 Washington, I was working out the theory with regard to the influence 

 of the Glacial Epoch, or Epochs, upon the geographical distribution of 

 to-day of our lepidoptera. It was a matter of less interest that Mr. 

 Morrison should have redescribed known species, than that these species 

 from Mt. Washington should have a representation also far away in the 

 higher latitude of Labrador, or that Labrador forms should be demon- 

 strated to occur also on mountain peaks in New Hampshire. Mr. 

 Moeschler sent me specimens of his islajidica and carnea from Labrador, 

 and when Mr. Morrison also sent me his " types " of opipa?'a and 

 scropulana I compared them and found the two species from Mt. Wash- 

 ington the same as the two from Labrador. I exhibited all these 

 specimens at the meeting of the Entomological Club of the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science, and there is record of the 

 fact in the Can. Entomologist. I adopted then Mr. Moeschler's names 

 for these insects, having no opportunity to go behind his determination 

 and suspecting no necessity. Matters rested in this way until I had the 

 opportunity, when I found, and was the first to find, that the real 

 islqndica, Stdgr., from Iceland was probably different from islandica, 

 Moeschl., from Labrador, as well as from opipara, Morr., from Mt. 

 Washington ; the two latter being, a? I had originally claimed, the same 

 species. Accordingly in 18S2, in my New Check List, p. 25, I called 

 our North American species opipara, Morr., with islandica, Moeschler, 

 in error, as a synonym. I added this note : — "This species from Mount 

 Washington is identical with the Labradorian species determined by 

 Moeschler as islandica. But I have doubts, since seeing an Icelandic 

 specimen, as to whether Moeschler is right. In restoring opipara for 

 this species I do not in the slightest way change my opinion as to the 

 identity of the Mount Washington and Labradorian species." Nothing 

 can be clearer than my words and action. I was bound to accept 

 Moeschler's authority in the first instance since I could not but believe 

 he knew Staudinger's species and Mr. Morrison knew neither that 

 nor carnea. Eight years later comes Prof. Smith and (although I never 

 had, at any time or anywhere, described any North American species as 

 islandica, and although, whenever I mentioned the name, it was perfectly 

 clear I was speaking of the species identified by Moeschler) cites after 

 opipara, " islandica, Gxoie, in error." Prof. Smith goes still further. He 



