48 -THE REPORT OF THE No. 19 



Autographa ruhidus, Ottol. 



"I have retained the male of ruhidus and send you one of my three fe- 

 males. It is in quite as good condition, and, as it was before me when I de- 

 scribed the species, I find it has a co-type label on it. This I leave, and 

 iiust that the specimen may find its way into one of your society or national 

 museums. 



The species is an interesting one to me as I think it accounts for the re- 

 ported captures of iota to be found in Canadian literature. I have the true 

 iot'tt from Europe, from which it differs greatly, but it is not so dissimilar 

 from the iota of some of the old published lithographic plates, and as the 

 v)ider writers used the European names for the American fauna rather more 

 freely than we do now, I think ruhidus is what they all called Iota. I have 

 seen in all, only seven specimens of this, three of which I have. All came 

 from eastern Canada except one determined for Mr. Wolley-Dod. This gives 

 you the range, and it should be found anywhere in Canada. 



Tou have two specimens of flagellum. This was long called monodon, 

 until Prof. Smith discovered both types in the British Museum, and correctly 

 announced in his Bulletin of the Noctuidae, that both types referred to one 

 species, thus giving flagellum antecedence. Nevertheless subsequently he 

 renamed the species insolita, which of course falls. My specimens have been 

 compared with all true types. 



A word about fratella, a name which I notice in turning the pages of the 

 Catalogue before me. I omitted this from my list, as a synoym of ou. Just 

 before his death Mr. Grote sent a note to the Cajiadian Entomologist denying 

 this synonomy. The same denial is to be found on the same authority in 

 Sjuith's Catalogue; Morrison having declared fratella to be ou. By closely 

 reading the paragraph referring to ou in the same work we find that though 

 it is stated that the ou of the Grote collection agrees with Guenee's type in 

 the British Museum, nevertheless we are told that Californica is a form of 

 ou rather than of gamma. As a matter of fact, Californica is quite easily 

 separated from oii, but is not so distinct from European gamma. 



Sir George Hampson kindly made comparison of my material for me and 

 selected a brilliantly marked large specimen as agreeing with the type of ou, 

 and a very small dull colored specimen from Texas, he says "agrees with 

 types of ou and fratella. Both identical." I should add that I sent all my 

 material to Sir George Hampson without labels other than numbers, my la- 

 bels being kept at home on pins similarly numbered. He was therefore not 

 influenced by my views. As this comparison was made long after Mr. Grote 

 had parted with his type, and as he gives no distinguishing characteristic in 

 his description, by all rules fratella must pass into the synonomy. 



Oxy gramma is usually considered a southern species, but I already have 

 it from London, Ontario, through Dr. Bethune." 



At the close of the meeting votes of thanks were unanimously adopted 

 to Principal Merchant for his kindness in allowing the Society to use the 

 Lecture-room at the Normal School, and the lantern for their public meeting 

 en Wednesday night; to Mr. S. B. McCready, for so satisfactorily manipulat- 

 ing the lantern and slides ; and to Prof. Wickham and Mr. "Willing, for com- 

 ing such long distances to read papers and take part in the proceedings of the 

 annual meeting. 



