70 BULLETIN 38, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Peridronia saucia Hubu. 



1816. Hbn., Samml Enr. Sclimett, Noct., 378, Noctua. 



181G. Hbu., Verzeicbniss, 2"27, Peridroma. 



1852. Gu., Noct., I, 271, Agrotis. 



1856. Wlk., C. B. Mas. Lep., x, 311, Agrotis. 



1873. Grt., Bali. Buff. Soc. N. Sci., i, 135, AgroHs. 



1883. Sauudeis, Fruit lusects, 106, pp. 100-103, Agrotis. 

 i7icrmis Harris. 



1841. Harris, Eept. Ins. Mass., Agrotis. 



1842. Harris, Injur. Ins., 323, Agrotis. 



1869. Eiley, 1st Ropt. Ins. Mo., 72, pi. i, ff. 1-4, Agrotis. 

 1873. Pacliard, Our Common Ins., 199, p. 240, Agrotis. 



1873. Grt., Bull. Buff. Soc. N. Sci.,i, 135, pr. syn. 

 1876. Riley, 8th Rept. Ins. Mo., 37, pp. 24, 25, Agrotis. 

 1881. Riley, Index & Suppl. to Mo. Report, 55, pr. syn. 



ortonii Pack. 

 1869. Pack, 1st Rept. Peab. Ac. Sci., 63, Argotis. 



1874, Morr., Proc. Bost. Soc. N. H., 17, 210, pr. syn. 

 Var margaritosa Ilaw. 



1810. Haw., Lepid. Britt, 157. 

 18.52. Gueu., Noct., i, 271, pr. syn. 



Yellowish fuscous to purplish brown, more or less irrorate or suffused 

 with black, the maculatiou often entirely obscured. T. a. line gemi- 

 nate, lunate, upright. T. p. line single, crenulate, often only punctate, 

 sometimes obsolete, rarely very distinct; evenly curved over the cell. 

 S. t. line indefinite, marked only by the somewhat darker shade of 

 terminal space; a row of lunate terminal spots. Ordinary spots 

 large, concolorous ; orbicular round or oval ; reniform short and rather 

 broad ; claviform short, faintly outlined ; secondaries iridescent 

 whitish, outwardly smoky, veins marked. Beneath powdery, some- 

 what iridescent, with a common dark outer line or shade. Expands 

 40-50""", 1.60-2.00 inches. 



Habitat. — North and South America, Europe, Asia. 



This is one of those obscure forms so difficult to describe, the orna- 

 mentation consisting of shadings rather than markings, and scarcely 

 two specimens appearing entirely alike. It is, however, so different 

 from all the species associated with it that there is no danger of mis- 

 taking it for other than itself. 



The term margaritosa applies to the nearly uniformly luteous speci- 

 mens, rare in the United States, while 1 have somewhere named a 

 very distinctly marked specimen without any confusing shades unica. 

 The term is not sajictioned by description, and 1 now deem the form 

 not sufficiently constant to require a name. 



The life history has been well written by Professor Eiley, and the 

 species has been frequently treated in economic publications. 



