June-Sept, 19:9.] OtTOLENGUI : PlUSIIN^E. 119 



I copy from Hampson's synoptic table. 2 



a 1 Forewing with orbicular absent, the U-shaped stigma somewhat pointed 



below Sackeni. 



b 2 Forewing with orbicular present, U-shaped stigma rounded below. .Snowi. 



In the plate of colored figures accompanying the volume, it ap- 

 peared to me that the figures labeled Snowi, more closely resembled 

 Sackeni. I so wrote to my friend, that excellent student of the 

 noctuidse, Mr. F. H. Wolley Dod, who was at the time stationed near 

 London. He kindly visited the British Museum and wrote me that 

 the figures agreed with the museum specimens, and he added that 

 he never had been able to distinguish between Snowi and Sackeni 

 until Sir George Hampson pointed out the above distinctions. 



This proved more puzzling than ever because I have specimens 

 which are undoubtedly Sackeni, and which nevertheless agree with 

 both sets of requirements as stated in the synoptic table, the orbicular 

 being sometimes present and sometimes absent, and the sign far from 

 constant. 



Then Mr. K. Bowman, of Edmunton, Alberta, sent me some speci- 

 mens for identification, and among these I found a new form, very 

 close to Sackeni. Turning to Hampson's descriptions of Sackeni 

 (pp. 417-418) and Snowi (pp. 418-419) we find that in his museum 

 he has the type of Sackeni, a male, and two females, all from Colo- 

 rado, which is the type locality. But his description of Snowi was 

 based on two specimens, a female from Calgary, Alberta, and a 

 female from Athabasca, B. C, whereas Snowi was described from a 

 specimen taken near Las Vegas, New Mexico. This fact led me to 

 suspect that what Dod and Hampson have been identifying as Snowi, 

 might really be this new form discovered by Mr. Bowman. This 

 suspicion has been confirmed by Mr. Bowman's sending a specimen to 

 Sir George Hampson who returned it labeled "Snowi." Since then 

 I have a letter from Sir George Hampson from which I quote as 

 follows : 



" I had specimens sent me not long ago from Nordegg, Alberta, 

 of what I called in my Catalogue, Syngrapha Snowi, on the authority 

 of Wolley Dod, and I was informed that you considered this a new 

 species. I do not know the typical Colorado and New Mexico form, 

 so have no means of judging." 



2 Cat. Brit. Miis.. Vol. XII, p. 413. 



