OF NORTH AMERICA. 59 



costa, and the marginal bands seen above being more clearly indicated. 

 Secondaries as above except that the costa is broadly pink, nearly con- 

 colorous with the primaries. 



I have before me three specimens from Texas, and three from Maz- 

 atlan, in Mexico. The only variations to note on the primaries, are 

 the presence in one specimen of what would be the subcostal spot of 

 the short fifth band of U. bella; and in two specimens, of two interior 

 subcostal spots of what corresponds to the fourth band in the same 

 species. In two Mexican specimens the secondaries are largely clouded 

 with black, and one Texan example has the costal two-thirds of the 

 same wings, concolorous with the primaries. These variations do not, 

 however, affect the distinctive character of the insects in which they 

 occur. 



Much may be said in favor of the view that the three foregoing 

 species are merely geographical varieties of one and the same thing, 

 and they are not here presented with perfect confidence that they are 

 specifically distinct, but in the absence of all knowledge of their pre- 

 paratory stages, and in view of their geographical distribution, the strik- 

 ing dissimilarity of their " fascies," and the difficulty of deciding which 

 should be considered the type, I have presented them in this way, with- 

 out wishing by so doing to pass upon the question of their specific 

 identity. 



The whole genus is one of very diflicult'determination. It seems to 

 me that while U. bella may possibly be specifically distinct, there is a 

 possibility that speciosa and ornairix may merge by degrees one into the 

 other, yet among all the specimens I have seen I have met with but 

 one, which I could not immediately refer to one or other of the three 

 species, if they are so considered. This specimen is from Porto Rico, 

 W. I., and is figured on plate 2, fig. 17. The upper wings most 

 nearly resemble U. speciosa, (plate 2, fig. 16,) while the secondaries are 

 like those of U. ornatrix. It is the occurrence of individuals such as 

 this which obscure the question. Grote, in speaking of U. bella from 

 Cuba, (Proc. Ent. Soc. Phil., vol. 5, p. 235,) seems to me to have had 

 before him specimens with reddish upper wings, which would place 

 them under U. speciosa, Walker, and if we consider these to be identi- 

 cal with the typical yellow winged U. bella, the entire series must be 

 united under one specific name (U. ornatrix), for speciosa and ornairix 

 (on accountofthe base ofcoloringofthe primaries being red in both cases) 

 are much more likely to be specifically identical than the yellow bella and 

 flesh colored ornatrix. The strongest argument in favor of their specific 



