18G4.] 97 



Synopsis of the BOMBYCID^ of the United States. 

 BY A. S. PACKARD. JR. 



LITHOSIID^ AND ARCTIAD.E. 



This revision of our Bomhycidse is prepared from materials which 

 have been accumulating for a future monograph of this interesting and 

 beautiful family. It is simply a synonymical list of described species, 

 with the characters of new genera and species. Our material has been 

 .scanty, and by no means represents fairly a group which is so largely 

 developed in North America; as it is, the mass of specimens were col- 

 lected in New England and the Middle Atlantic States, with a few 

 from California and the British Provinces. 



The principal sources from which the specimens were obtained, are : 

 the Mu.seum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, Mass.; the collec- 

 tion of Dr. T. W. Harris in the possession of the Boston Society of 

 Natural History ; while Mr. F. Gr. Sanborn of Boston, has generously 

 thrown open his own collection to me, and that belonging to the Mas- 

 sachusetts State Museum, accumulated chiefly through his own exer- 

 tions, and I am indebted to him for continued favors while preparing 

 this paper. Mr. A. R. G-rote, of New York, has not only freely given 

 me nearly every thing of value in his own collection, but has been 

 indefatigable in securing from other collections the loan of many rari- 

 ties. Acknowledgements will be found in their proper places of mate- 

 rial aid from Messrs. W. H. Kdwards of Newburg, N. Y. ; Stephen 

 (Jalverley of New York; J. W. Weidemeyer of New York; C. A. 

 Shurtliff of Brookline, Mass.; Mr. S. H. Scudder of Boston; Mrs. J. 

 Bridgham of New York; Messrs. M. B. Blake of Grilmanton, N. H.; 

 8. I. Smith of Norway, Me.; L. Trouvelot of Medford, Mass.. who 

 has been especially successful in raising rare Limododes and Noto- 

 doutians and other genera of this group, and in faithfully delineating 

 their forms. I should notice also the aid received from Miss A. M. 

 Edraands of Salem, Mass.; Messrs. W. Saunders of London, Canada 

 West; A. E. Verrill. Cambridge, Mass.; Prof Miles of the State Agri- 

 cultural College, Lansing, Mich.; and Mr. F. W. Putnam of Salem, 

 Mass. 



The valuable alcoholic collection of this family in all stages of 



