24 BULLETIN 38, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



aud the same is probably true of the Nevada specimeu referred to iu 

 Can. Eiit., X, 235. In fact, tlie whole paragraph iu reference to this 

 Nevada specimen points to CAipidissima almost without doubt. The 

 sexual characters of the male point to cupida rather than the other 

 species, and the color of the palpi seems to form a safe character for 

 superficial classification or determination. I have nev^er seen this 

 species shading into red, all the red specimens i)roving cupida. 



Rhynchagrotis cvipidissinia Grt. 



1875. Grt., Can. Ent., vii, 101, Agrotis. 

 1878. Grt., Can, Ent., x, '2:34, Agrotis. 

 1878. Grt., Bull. Surv,, iv, 173, Agrotis. 



1883. Grt., Proc. Am. Phil. Soc, xxi., 155, Agrotis. 

 orhis Grt. 



1876. Grt., Bull. Buff. Soc.'N. Sci., in, 83, Agrotis. 

 1878. Grt., Bull. Surv., 174, Agrotis. 



1883. Proc. Am. Phil. Soc, xxi, 155, an syn. ])r.? 



latida Grt. 

 1876. Grt., Bull. Buff. Soc. N. Sci., iii, 83, Agrotis. 

 1878. Grt., Can. Ent., x, 234. pr. syn. 

 1878. Grt., Bull. Surv. iv, 173, an sp. dist. 



"The Californian specimens are light red colored, with powdery 

 geminate lines, and variable in appearance ; one is pale fawn, unicol- 

 orous, without marks on primaries save indications of the stigmata and 

 the dotted t. p. line. Again, three specimens have the orbicular some- 

 what V-shaped, open above. The t. p. line is more regular than in 

 cupida; it is accompanied by black dots. The subtermiual line is 

 nearer to the margin than in either alternata or cupida^ but it is more 

 like alternata than it is cupida in its being irregular, accompanied with 

 powdery black scales; it is preceded on costa by a bhickish shade, as 

 iu cupida. The jiresent species I formerly considered as alternata from 

 the markings, and on Mr. Morrison's authority as c^iplda fvom the color, 

 but the reniform I now see is more kidney-shaped than iu either the 

 eastern alternata or cupida. I sent a specimen to Mr. Morrison to show 

 the variability of what I sui)])Osed was his exsertistigma, and he in- 

 formed me that the specimeu was cupida. Afterivard he returned me 

 my specimeu of exsertistigma, * * * which I then saw was an en- 

 tirely different species. I have subsequently adopted the view that 

 the Californian specimens were cupida, and that I was in error in con- 

 sidering them to be alternata. I now reject both determinations, and 

 consider that the Californian species is allied to both alternata and 

 cupida, and is a new species from the data given above. The habitus 

 of cupidissima and size (39""") is ratlier that of alternata. The hind 

 wings are a little paler at base in cupidissima, and the lunule more ob- 

 vious. A. cupida does not as yet ap[)ear to occur iu California." 



