Longstaff. — Nomenclature of tfte Lepidoptera of N.Z. 109 



comprehensible when a large fauna is reviewed. In short, generic names 

 have changed, and, troublesome though it be, probably will change again. 



With species, however, the case is quite different. They correspond, 

 or should correspond, with natural facts. There will probably always be 

 both the "splitter" and the "lumper." Nevertheless, while it is com- 

 paratively unimportant what generic name you use, it is most important, 

 so far as possible, that all should agree as to the specific name. It is, for 

 example, most important that you should all mean the same thing by vitiosa 

 Butl., but it matters comparatively little whether you include it in Me- 

 lanchra or Morrisonia. 



It was almost inevitable that Mr. Hudson should have adopted Mr. 

 Meyrickfs system of classification and somewhat revolutionary nomen- 

 clature. Sir George Hampson's system differs from Mr. Meyrick's, though 

 the difference is not perhaps so great as appears at first sight. It is well 

 that I should state quite plainly that I am in nowise competent to judge 

 between the two systems, and make no claim to do so. My design in this 

 paper is a much more humble one, being merely to help New Zealand ento- 

 mologists to find out by what names their moths and butterflies are known 

 in the latest English systematic work. 



A few remarks as to the formidable " Catalogue of the Lepidoptera- 

 Phalaenae in the British Museum" may possibly be of interest to the mem- 

 bers of the New Zealand Institute. The first volume was issued in 1898, the 

 ninth, completing the Noctuidae Trifinae, in 1910. In these ponderous 

 tomes, each accompanied by a fasciculus of coloured plates, illustrating 

 species not previously figured satisfactorily, Sir George Hampson has dealt 

 with close upon ten thousand species of moths. Vol. 3 deals with four 

 New Zealand insects, vol. 4 with eight, vol. 6 with four, vol. 7 with three, 

 vol. 8 with two. Three of the volumes (1, 2, and 9) contain no New Zea- 

 land species ; but it is fortunate that no less than forty-six species, all 

 in the subfamily Hadenidae, are described in vol. 5.* 



Since Sir George's monumental work is likely to be the standard authoritv 

 for many years to come— at any rate, for English-speaking entomologists— 

 I have adopted his arrangement of the species in preference to that of Mr. 

 Hudson, or that of the " Hand-list of New Zealand Lepidoptera^ 



On the left-hand side will be seen the name of the species as it stands 

 in Mr. Hudson's book, or in the original paper in which it was described. 

 The page, plate, and figure follow. The mark If signifies that there is no 

 illustration of the species. 



On the right-hand side are given : — 



(1.) The number borne by the species in the catalogue. An as- 

 terisk (*) indicates that at the time of publication there was 

 no specimen in the British Museum. In the case of the species 

 recognized by the author since the publication of the volume 

 the interpolated number is given in parentheses ( ). 

 (2.) The name in the catalogue or in the British Museum collection. 

 (3.) The number, in parentheses ( ), of specimens in the collection 

 in November, 1910. This in most cases is only given when 

 the number is under six. When the mark $ is added, the 

 cJ is unknown to Sir George, and there is therefore some 

 doubt as to the section of the genus in which the species should 

 be placed. 



*Vol. 5 is issued at 15s.; the accompanying plates also cost 15s.: either ma)' be 

 had separately. 



