149 



DOUBLEDAY TO HARRIS. 



Epping, Sept. 11, 1840. 

 Westwood has been dissecting Eudryas, and sees an affinity 

 with Beiopeia and Eypercompa. Stephens thinks it near to 

 Acontia. "What's to be done Avhen doctors disagree." The 

 larva of your militaris, or any alHed species, is not in Abbot's 

 drawing. Stephens thinks it a true Hypercomfa. The habits 

 of this and the Southern species, as well as Lecontei, are just 

 the same as those of our domhmla. The last is a much gayer 

 insect. Stephens says your militaris is quite distinct from 

 Lecontei, and points out a small white spot near the outer mar- 

 gin, as not being present in Lecontei. I must acknowledge that 

 I begin to waver in my opinion. He thinks the spots cannot 

 coalesce so as to give the markings of militaris. 



HARRIS TO DOUBLEDAY. 



Cambridge, Sept. 27, 1840. 

 As I was accidentally turning over the fourth volume of 

 Audubon's Birds of America, a little while ago, I saw on plate 

 359 a figure of your ITera chrysocarena, together Avith another 

 moth marked exactly like it, but of a rich ochre or Indian yel- 

 low color, and which I suspect is the other sex. Audubon was 

 here at the time, and I asked him about these insects. He told 

 me that he received them from Nuttall ; and that those on 

 plate 359, which we reexamined together, were taken by 

 Nuttall near or among the Rocky Mountains. Audubon fur- 

 ther said that as soon as he had drawn and colored them he 

 gave the original specimens to Mr. Bachman. From the latter 

 gentleman it seems that you received yours, and thus you get 

 Its true locality. Upon very carefully comparing it with Sutur- 

 nia Maia {Proserpina Fabr.), and also with Aglia tau, I feel 

 almost entirely convinced that it is congeneric with the 



