ii INTRODUCTION. . 



in America ; personally, however I think the arrangement of butter- 

 flies given in my Butterfliesof New England preferable. By the term 

 type, applied to the species figured in the plates, I simply mean that it 

 is the type selected by me for comparison, for one reason or another. 



The description, unless otherwise stated, always applies to the male. 

 In regard to the status of the species given, I have done little besides 

 follow Mr. Edwards. I have made a few changes, and have added a few 

 species and sub-species to the list, but nothing essential. In this branch 

 of zoology, as well as in others, we find two classes of opinions regard- 

 ing what shall constitute a species ; the one being satisfied with minute 

 differences, the other looking for more prominent characters as means 

 of separation. Personall3% I believe that in many cases, species are sep- 

 arated by closely drawn lines, this varying with different genera; that 

 is, some genera are more susceptible to change than others. I am also 

 inclined to think, that among these, as well as among other animals, 

 well defined species appear more quickly than is generally supposed, a 

 conclusion which I think is borne out by the history of the Cabbage But- 

 terfly in America, which, since its importation from Europe in 1857, 

 has produced several well marked forms which are looked upon by many 

 as sub-species. 



In matter of nomenclature, I have used trinominals to designate sub- 

 species, and in one case, quadrinomials to designate a variety of sub- 

 species. This method is a clumsy one and must in the near future give 

 place to something more simple. We have arrived at a point in the study 

 of zoology where many of us see the necessity of carefully recording the 

 present status of species, sub-species, and even of more minute divisions 

 among animals, for the benefit of students of the coming generations, 

 hence we feel the want of some system of nomenclature different from 

 that now in use. 



I have endeavored to give descriptions of all the species of Butter- 

 flies which have been taken within our limits, but as many new species 

 and sub-species have been described and added to the fauna since the 

 appearance of Mr. Edwards last catalogue, (18S4) and as the notices 

 of these are scattered through a variety of publications, it is possible 

 that some may have been omitted. Many species not given in the body 

 of the work have been given in the appendix, hence this should be con- 

 sulted if any given species cannot be found in the main portion of the 

 book. 



I am much indebted to Mr. Edwards' excellent catalogue for greatly 

 facilitatmg my labors. I am also under obligations to Mr. Samuel 



