62 NOVITATES ZOOLOOICAK XXIV. 1917. 



Rules of Nomenclature, trinomials can only be uf-ed for Subspecies and not for 

 individual aberrations. If such individual aberrations are named at all. the 

 name must be preceded by ab. ( = abbreviation for aberration), thus Vanessa 

 polycJiloros ab. testudo, while the North African local form of this insect is written 

 trinomially thus, Vanessa polychloros erythromelas Aust. Another undesirable 

 nomenclatorial practice of ]\Ir. Oberthiir is \^ithin one and the same gemis 

 applying the same name to species or subspecies and to individual aberrations 

 also ; as an instance Satyrvs powelli Oberth.. a very distinct species, and Satyriis 

 fdia. albivenosa poicelli Oberth., which is an aberration of an aberration of 

 Satyrus fdia. 



Now I know that names applied to aberrations do not come within the 

 scope of the International Rules which only apply to " subspecies," " species," 

 " genera," and " still higher divisions," but nevertheless it is most incon- 

 venient and much to be deprecated if aberrations are given names which already 

 belong to species in the same genus, and ^^hen Mr. Oberthiir in addition WTites 

 both trinomially the practice leads to utter confusion. 



It is also most startling and disconcerting to find interpolated in the midst 

 of a Fauna of Barbary on pages 372-376 of " Fascicule XII " a series of de- 

 scriptions of Thibetian Drepanidae. Although I am not guiltless of similar 

 discrepancies (see WoUaston Expedition description and figures of some lepidop- 

 tera not from this expedition) myself, yet my references dealt with the same 

 faunal area, while Mr. Oberthiir cannot plead that Thibet is a part of Barbary, 

 though within the Palaearctic area. 



In additijn to notes on the specimens in the British Museum, I am givmg 

 also, under each species, such references as I think of use from Mr. Ch. Blachier, 

 Miss M. E. Fountaine, Mr. J. de Joannis, and the late Mr. A. E. Gibbs. I am 

 adding to this a complete list of the Mauretanian specimens in the Tring Museum. 



The Algerian material in the Tring Museum was principally collected by 

 Dr. Ernst Hartert, Dr. Karl Jordan, and myself, and our energetic taxidermist 

 Mr. C. Hilgert, between the years 1908 and 1914 ; and also by the professional 

 collectors, Victor Faroult and E. Blanc, Mr. Maxime Rotrou of Sidi bel Abbes, and 

 the pharmacist of Batna, Mr. A. Nelva. In addition to these, as appears in the 

 lists, a certain number of things were caught by the guide Cheli Brahim and 

 a number of other individuals. Last, but not least, I am most indebted to the 

 genial Danish Consul at Alger, Dr. Nissen, for much good material, but stUl 

 more for an amount of help and general assistance without which nothing 

 hardly of this collection could have been brought together. 



I paid in all, between 1908 and 1914, six visits to Algeria in company with 

 Dr. Ernst Hartert and Dr. K. Jordan ; on all of which, except the first, some of 

 us were accompanied by Mr. Carl Hilgert as taxidermist and general shikaree. 

 In 1912 Dr. Hartert together with Hilgert made the long desert trip to In-Salah, 

 while Dr. Jordan and I explored variovis places north of the desert. In 1914, 

 after spending some time at Biskra, Dr. Hartert and HUgert went down to the 

 Oued N^a near Ghardaia for four weeks, while Dr. Jordan and I spent the time 

 in the east of Algeria. 



In 1908 Dr. Hirtert and I arrived in Algiers on February 14th, and after 

 four days in that town, where we caught a few Zygaena algira in the " Bois de 

 Boulogne " and a few moths at night, we left for Biskra, arriving there on the 

 20th. Wii remamed at Biskra till the er.d of April, having paid short visits to 



