230 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Mr. Howard's paper on Rileya n. g.. was not read before the Entomo- 

 logical Society of Washington until June 7th, 1888, and not 1887, as 

 stated in the Canadian Entomologist ; while my synopsis was at that 

 time already published. If there is any " interference " in the adoption 

 of the generic name Rileya, it is on the part of Mr. Howard. 



Besides the above " facts," I would state that the types of my genus 

 Rileya were shown to both Dr. C. V. Riley and Mr. H. G. Hubbard, at my 

 home in Jacksonville last winter, and at that time Dr. Riley made no 

 mention of Mr. Howard's genus Rileya, although he did desire, for 

 reasons of his own, that if it were possible, the name of the genus should be 

 changed. 



It is unfortunate that Mr. Howard, in describing his new genus 

 Rileya, failed to go over the European literature on the subject, for, both 

 from his figure and description, it seems to be identical with Dahlbom's 

 genus Lonchocerus, described in 1857, Ofversigt af Kongl. Vetenskaps- 

 Akademiens Forhandlungar, vol. xiv., p. 293. Mr. C. G. Thomson, 

 Hymenoptera Scandinavise, Tom. iv., Fasc. I., p. 116, in speaking of this 

 genus, says : — " Abdomen globosum. Pronotum magnum. Antenna 

 scapo et flagellum valde compressis ;" and on p. 130, in speaking of the 

 scutellum : — " Scutellum dense holocericeo-ptibescens." These characters 

 seem to be the essential characters of Mr. Howard's genus Rileya, the 

 only real difference being in the shape of the head ; but whether or not 

 Mr. Howard's genus is identical is immaterial, my Eurytomid genus of 

 the same name having the priority. 



In seeking to suppress the genus Mr. Howard has violated all the 

 well established rules of zoological nomenclature. 



JOHN ABBOT, THE AURELIAN. 



BY W. F. KIRBV, BRITISH MUSEUM, LONDON, ENGLAND. 



In the August part of the Canadian Entomologist, pp. 149-154, I 

 notice an article on this subject by my friend, Mr. Scudder, and I may, 

 perhaps, be able to add some additional remarks. 



The volume on Exotic Moths, published by Duncan in Jardine's 

 "Naturalist's Library," contains (pp. 69-71) a short account of Abbot's 

 life and works, and incorporates the notice by Swainson, to which Mr. 

 Scudder refers. Swainson remarks, respecting the plates, " M. Francillon 

 possessed many hundreds, but we know not into whose hands they have 



