DIURNAL LEPIDOPTERA. O 



Sciidder, several years ago. furnislied uio the names lie adopted in his 

 revision of this family, — the only family, by the way, connected with 

 our fauna, which needed revision, — sending them from Europe, and I 

 received his list bArely in time to include it in the closing pages of the 

 Synopsis and my volume, with no interval for examination or ex])lanation. 

 To this day it stands a bare list of names, without authority, the groups 

 indicated never having received definition. It was at unce found objec- 

 tionable on account of the excessive restriction of the groups called 

 genera, there being no less than thirty-nine to one hundred and six 

 species. Prof. Zeller, (Knt. Zeit. Stet. 1874), might well ask, "what 

 would become of us if all the Hesperians of the world, and all the 

 Lepidoptera also, were thus split up into such genera. The least 

 result would be that the difficulty of determining the species would 

 resolve itself into the greater one of determining the genus." Some 

 few of these groups would doubtless stand as genera, if defined, but in 

 most cases, there is no reason why several should not be embraced in 

 a single genus. That I gave them currency and endorsement through 

 the Synopsis has been a matter for regret. 



Inasmuch as the Hesperida3 undoubtedly needed revision, Dr. Otto 

 Speycr kindly consented, at the recjuest of Mr. Lintner, to undertake 

 the tusk. It is believed that the arrangement proposed by him will be 

 satisfactory. But it must not be forgotten that any present arrange- 

 ment of this family, much more for one geographical section of it, is 

 only provisional. Of this Dr Speyer himself writes: "A systematic 

 treatment of the Hesporid;^ is a very difficult task, and, according to 

 my opinion, can only be accomplished with reference to the whole 

 known family, in all parts of the world, of which the American Hes- 

 perians form only a small fragment. But as there exists at present 

 no general system for this family answering all demands, and as there 

 is not likely to be one very soon, local specialists are obliged to confine 

 themselves, whether they will or not, to their own species. Even fjr 

 the European fauna, we have been obliged to content ourselves with a 

 highly deficient provisional grouping of the Hesperians, so imperfect 

 indeed, that I have not been able yet to accept these .so-called genera, 

 and in my own collection, I still bring everything under the name 

 Hesperia, — a procedure allowable, under the circumstances, for the 

 European fauna, poor in species, but not suitable for the richer Ameri- 

 can fauna." W. H. Edw.vkds. 

 Coalbargh^ W Va. Feb. 1877. 



