230 JOHN B. SMITH. 



IWOTES O^ IVIA.^IK^TRA OI.IVACEA 9IORR. AKD 

 ITK AI.LIE»$. 



BY JOHN B. SMITH. 



In A^olume XIV of the Proceedings of the United States Nat- 

 ional Museum, 1891, I published a revision of the species of 3fames- 

 tra, including in the group oHvacea (p. 253) three species to wit: 

 olivacea, rectilinea and vmt,- media. After referring to the varia- 

 bility of the series I added : " It would not be a matter of much 

 surprise if, eventually, all the species here referred proved forms of 

 the same type." Forms of the same type they surely are; but not, 

 as I now believe, in the sense I meant that phrase to be taken. 



To olivacea I cited coinis Grt. as a synonym, and added a new 

 variety, obscurior, from Maine. The latter was differentiated as 

 " very evenly dark gray, with a green suffusion, the lines velvety 

 black, a red shade ou t. p. line inferiorly, secondaries blackish." 

 No example of this form is at present before me. 



Concerning comis I said : the type " is a very bright, strongly 

 marked specimen, like typical olivacea, but so spread that the insect 

 appears more plump, shorter winged and differently marked." Mr. 

 Grote never accepted this reference, and he was right. jSIy state- 

 ments concerning the type were correct. It is a good specimen 

 which seems to have been spread when fresh, in such a way as to 

 make a fold or kink at the base of the primaries: this results in 

 apparently shortening the wing, eliminating the basal line and de- 

 creasing the basal space or distance to the t. a. line. 



In rearranging my collection recently I found that there was an 

 ap[)arently constant difference in general appearance between speci- 

 mens from different localities, and to test whether this was really 

 more than an appearance, I secured a series of specimens from 

 Florida, Manitoba, Vancouver, Colorado, Utah and California, 

 through the courtesy of Dr. Barnes, Dr. Dyar of the U. S. National 

 Museum, Mr. Wm. Beutenmuller of the American Museum of 

 Natural History, Mr. Hanham and, by purchase, from Mr. Franck. 

 A few specimens came just then from M. Cordley, of Corvallis, 

 Oregon, and I had in my own and the College material examples 

 from California, Vancouver and other localities. Altogether, some- 

 thing like 125 examples were under examination. After arranging 



