330 TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



Europe by Boisduval, the latter by mistake coupled with Tuccce 

 the larva and pupa of some other large Southern Hesperian.^" 



The next reference to this insect is by Walker,* in 1S56, who 

 is the first to briefly describe it as Castnia yuccce. In 1871, 

 Kirby referred it doubtingly to SEgiale, Feld. in Hesperidas.t 

 In 1S72, Scudder made it the type of a new genus {Megathymus) 

 in Hesperidse,! without further diagnosis than the incorrect fig- 

 ures in the Iconographie alluded to. This reference is followed 

 by Wm. H. Edwards in the Synopsis accompanying the first 

 volume of his work on N. A. Butterflies (1872). Scudder sub- 

 sequently states that "it is not a butterfly, "§ and Mr. A. R. Grote. 

 after an examination of specimens collected in Florida, regards it 

 " as belonging to the Castnians, where it is placed by Walker."|| 



It will thus be seen that this insect has sorely perplexed sys- 

 tematists, having been bandied from the butterflies to the moths : 

 and that the balance of opinion withdraws it from the butterflies 

 and places it with the Castnians — a family which, in some re- 

 spects, combines the characters of the two great Lepidopterous 

 divisions, but is regarded, and justly, as having most affinities 

 with the moths. 



I shall endeavor to show that this opinion is not well-founded ; 

 that Megathymus is a genuine butterfly, and that its greatest 

 affinities are with the Hesperians. Together with one or two 



IT They belong, however, neither to Tityrus nor Proteus, with the early stages of which 

 I am familiar. It would seem that Boisduval already had in his possession a more correct 

 figure of the larva of 7'iiccce ; for Mr Scudder has transcribed for me the following memo- 

 randum, which is accompanied by a truthful outline of the larva: 



"Larva de la grande Hespekia: Habitat in caulibus et radieibus diversarum speci- 

 erum Vitrei, nidum format longum cylindricum e tela sericea fragmentisque foliorum 



plants. Cum tempus meianiorphoseos appropinquat pulvere albo larva conspergitur et idem 

 ckrysalidem vestal." 



This memorandum was originally in BoisduvaPs possession, but has been purchased by the 

 Boston Soc. Nat. Hist , among other original drawings by Abbott, under the supposition 

 that it was one of this naturalist's sketches There is good reason icf believing, however, 

 that it was made by the late Major John LeComte, who, as we know from his son (Proc. 

 Am. Assoc. Adv. Sci. xxii. B, 13, note), had nothing to do with the preparation and sys- 

 tematic arrangement of the Iconographie. though he made numerous notes and drawings 

 which were retained in Europe by his co-editor. 



* List of the specimens of Lep. Ins. in the Coll. of the British Museum, Part VII., p. 

 15S3. No. 43. 



t Synonymic Cat. Diurnal Lep., p 60S. W F. Kirby: London, 1S71 



J Systematic Revision of some of the Am. Butterflies, etc.. p. 62. S. H. Scudder: Sa- 

 lem. 1S72. 



§ Historical Sketch of Generic Names proposed for Butterflies, p. 213. Salem, 1S75. 



|| Canadian Entomologist, September, 1S75. p. 173. 



