1902.] GROTE — SEARCH FOR THE TYPE OF NOCTUA LINN. 9 



made no search after the type of Noctua, Fabricius. It is evident 

 he took the name from Linne, whether he credit it to him or not. 



OcHSENHEiMER, Schmetterlinge Europa' s. Vol. iv, 1816. 



Ochsenheimer has no genus Noctua ; pronuba is included by him 

 in his genus Triphaena, with other yellow-winged Agrotids, differ- 

 ing in structure. On page viii, Ochsenheimer cites by its full title 

 the Tentamen of Hiibner, and says, literally : dieses Blatt kam 

 mir erst lange nach dem Abdrucke des dritten Bandes zu Gesichte, 

 daher konnte ich friiher nichts davon aufnehmen. Already in 1876 

 I have shown that Hagen misquoted Ochsenheimer {vide Buffalo 

 Check List and Can. Enf.), who in reality borrowed generic names 

 and ideas from Hiibner's Tentamen and properly gives him credit. 

 Later writers, who are here so greatly indebted to their predeces- 

 sors, could profitably take example. 



Ochsenheimer's groupings of the Noctuids must be considered 

 as expressing his idea of their affinities, because on page ix he says 

 that he only catalogues and describes what he could compare in 

 nature, not relying upon descriptions or figures, and that his syste- 

 matic list is at the same time the catalogue of his collection. He 

 gives no descriptions of his genera, any more than Hiibner in the 

 Tentamen. 



BoiSDUVAL, EtcropcBorum Lepidopterorum Index Methodicus . 



Dated on title-page 1829, but the Preface is dated Sept. 30, 



1828. The work has priority over Duponchel's volume, March, 



1829, or Curtis, May, 1829. '* Noctua mihi," p. 6^, contains 

 names of some 70 species; Boisduval cites ^'Agrotis et Noctua 

 Treits." and *' Agrotis et Graphiphora Ochs." as synonymous. 

 The type of Agrotis Hiibn., 1806, segetum, is included. '' Tri- 

 phcena Ochs. Treitsch.," p. (iZ, contains 7 species, among them 

 pronuba, designated by Duponchel as type. 



After Fabricius, the responsibility for the use of Noctua mainly 

 rests with Boisduval. I cannot find that Hiibner ever used the 

 term in a generic sense. 



Boisduval, Genera et Index Methodicus. 



Dated on title-page and in Preface 1840. 



"• TriphcBna Treits. Boisd." contains 8 species, among them 

 Duponchel's type. 



