462 NORTH AMERICAN NOCTUIDiE. 



moderate iu size ; normal in shape, incompletely ontliued ; cell be- 

 tween, (Insky. Secondaries pure white. Beneath white, powdery to- 

 ward apices; an incomplete, imperfectly marked common line. Head 

 and thorax concolorous with primaries. Expands 1.25-1.30 inches 

 (31-.33°>"). 



Habitat. — Colorado. 



An easily recoj,niized form, allied to silem and tessellata, but paler thait 

 either, with pure white secondaries. The median shade is never very 

 evident and sometimes obsolete, while the cell between stigmata varies 

 from concolorous to black. Specimens are with Messrs. Hulst, Graet; 

 and Tepper. 



A. solitaria Smith, sp. nov. 



Structural peculiarities of the preceding species. Primaries some- 

 what yellowish rust red, powdered with blackish scales ; most densely 

 so in the median space. Transverse lines pale gray, even, not well de- 

 lined. S. t. line also gray, but little sinuate. Terminal space powdered 

 with black. Claviform obsolete. Ordinary spots distinct, moderate, 

 yellowish. Orbicular round ; reniform normal. Color betw eeu the spots 

 darker brown. Secondaries blackish. Beneath, deep smoky gray, pow- 

 dery ; discal lunules evident. Head pale, thorax carneous gray. Ex- 

 pands 1.32 inches (33"^'"). 



Habitat. — Labrador. 



A single 9 specimen from Mr. Moeschler, ticketed " ? var. confiua.^^ 

 Typical confiua does not occur in America, so far as I have been able 

 to discover. The present species is certainly not conflua, and agrees 

 with no other form known to me. It has the wing form and nearly the 

 color of basalts, from which it differs in smaller size, neatly defined 

 stigmata, and lack of basal pale space. 



MAMESTRA OcHS. 



The genus Mamcstra is characterized by hairy eyes, unarmed tibice, 

 more or less evidently tufted thorax and abdomen, rather coarse, rough^ 

 frontal vestiture, and usually more or less trigonate wings. The males 

 have the antenna) simple, ciliate or serrate, not pectinate. In the group 

 containing the noctuids with hairy eyes, the genera are very indefinite 

 and great caution is requisite in referring some species. The line divid- 

 ing this genus from Xylomiges and Tfeniocampa is so attenuated that 

 some species can be as readily referred to the one as the other. As an 

 example may be cited the fact that when Mr. Grote discarded the genus 

 7>iauf/ice67'a, he referred part of the species, before classed as such, to 

 ALamestr a, and the balance to Tceniocampa ; that is, he separated insects 

 theretofore considered congeneric, and the two genera between which 

 they were divided stand now widely separated in our lists. 

 M. subapicalis Smith, n. var. o{ rubrica. 



Primaries gray, powdery, with a rufous tint. Transverse lines gem- 

 inate, but rather indistinct. Basal line present, geminate, black. 



