THE GENUS OPOKABIA. 285 



that larvre which he had been breeding on hawthorn forsook it in 

 favour of sallow and birch when the opportunity offered. I mention 

 this as showing how little emphasis can safely be laid on the assumed 

 differentiation of <tntnimiaria or appnu-'Diiaria as birch feeders. The 

 appearance of Buckler's 7th volmne {Larvae of Biitifili Buttcrfiies and 

 ^[<)th.^<), containing figures and descriptiolis of rilii/raiiniiaria larvse, 

 ought to assist in clearing the ground for further research amongst the 

 woodland forms, to which I have now to turn your attention. I am 

 sorry to say that I have as yet arrived at nothing very definite, but I 

 trust I shall be doing some useful service in bringing together the 

 more important of the scattered notes of from 20 to 50 years ago, in 

 order that the present generation of entomologists may see exactly 

 where matters stand. If I may judge from the amount of trouble 

 which my researches have cost, I shall at least be saving future 

 workers a great deal of time. 



To begin with, then, let me offer a brief chronological history of 

 the discovery of the forms in this country. 



1839-1841. — Edleston took one female jut annum (of true fdi- 

 lirainmaria) at Staleybridge, near Manchester. No name was 

 immediately found for these. 



1841. — Weaver met with the same form in the Isle of Arran, and 

 after being told by two or three entomologists that it was only a 

 variety of diliitata, got it named polata (erroneously, of course), by 

 J. F. Stephens. 



1842. — Edleston published these captures under the name pnlata 

 [Kntoni., i., p. 856). 



cir. 1840. — Sir W. Jardine sent Doubleday a specimen of the large 

 form (or species). Doubleday felt convinced it was distinct from 

 .lilutata {ZooL, 1858, p. 6103). 



1843. — When Doubleday was in Paris, he saw the insect which I 

 have already described as antninnata, Gn., standing under the MS. 

 name of autumnaria, Bdv. From memory, he identified his Scotch 

 insect with this — a conclusion which he and Guenee afterwards 

 decided was erroneous. 



1843. — Westwood figured the Staleybridge and Arran species as 

 polata. 



1845. — Weaver, in the Zonlo(iist (p. 847, under date Nov., 1844), 

 catalogued " Operahia {sic) Jily/raviniaiia," without comment among a 

 list of his Arran captures. Hence it had evidently been discovered that 

 it was not the palata of Hiibner ; but when, and from whom, it received 

 the nanie oi plijfraininaria, I have been unable to ascertain. Double- 

 day, in his first catalogue (Nov., 1849), ascribes it to Boisduval, and 

 it is likely enough it was one of his numerous manuscript names. 

 Many of these were utilised by Herrich-Schaeffer, to whom apparently 

 we owe the first publication of the name nli;/rain)nai-ia (figured 1846, 

 described May, 1848). 



1849. — Doubleday, in his first " Synonymic List," introduced 

 three species of Ojxnahla, under the names diltitata,V\LY., autuinnaria, 

 Bdv., emd tilit/raiitmayia, Bdv. 



1850. — Stephens {Br. Mus. List) accepted the same three species, 

 with (/) neglectata in addition. 



1852. — Weaver published his notes on the genus {Zn<d., p. 3495), 

 making out six species, which I have noticed in their places. His 



