126 JOHN B. SMITH. 



The head, palpi and tliorax are dull, rusty brown ; palpi beneath and breast 

 rufescent ; a yellowish white streak on the sides of the head and prothorax, and 

 a transverse ferruginous line at base of thorax. The abdomen is a dark chestnut 

 brown, with the hind margin of the fourth, or more rarely the fourth and fifth 

 segments pale yellow, with three or four briglit. ferruginous, lateral spots Itegin- 

 ning on the fourth segment, and two very small pure white tufts on the jtosterior 

 segments; apical tuft deep chestnut brown. Beneath rufescent, w'ith three lat- 

 eral white dots on the hind portion of the posterior segments. Primaries brown, 

 with a puiiilish hue, costa powdered with gray scales; an indistinct dark brown 

 band and line in basal space ; a broad, dark brown, oblique, transverse, median 

 band, divided above the median vein to the costa and containing the jialer discal 

 spot ; a greenish subterminal line nearly parallel to outer margin, anteriorly 

 edged by a narrow, dusky shade ; a subapical bright red costal patch, below 

 which is a deep brown shade ; a deep brown spot crossing the terminal space just 

 below the middle ; a brown patch at anal angle ; fringes pale in the excavate 

 portion of the margin. Secondaries of a rich, deep brown, with a central red- 

 dish band, which, starting from the costa, merges gradually into the ground 

 color before reaching the hind margin ; fringes yellow, more or less interrupted 

 with brown in the apical half. Beneath, primaries to the middle rich crimson 

 brown ; beyond, a ferruginous shade to the dark purplish brown outer margin ; 

 an apical gray patch and a sprinkling of gray scales along costa. Secondaries 

 ferruginous, with a broad, purplish outer margin, a dusky discal spot and two 

 crimson brown transverse lines, the inner being broadest. Expands 1.75 — 2 in. ; 

 44 — 50 mm. 



Hab. — Canada to Georgia; \ve.stward to Missouri, Iowa, Illinois. 



The species is locally common, and is a Northern rather than a 

 Southern form. It flies early in June in the hottest sunshine, and 

 occasionally also in the evening. Dr. Holland says he has taken it 

 at light, and near Pittsburgh it flies mostly at dusk. If found fly- 

 ing in the middle of the day he " has noticed that it always keej)s 

 in the shadow, or slyly hovers about among the thick masses of the 

 Syringa blossoms in the deep umbrageous recesses, where it is not 

 easily reached by the net of the collector." 



The larva has been superficially described by Andrews, Boisduval 

 and Fernald, but a good life history is still a desideratum. 



THYREUS Swains. 

 Zool. Illustrated i, 1821, pi. 60. 



Body very stout, somewhat depressed. Head broad, not promi- 

 nent ; eyes moderate, strongly lashed superiorly ; a low conic tuft on 

 vertex ; tongue nearly as long as the body ; palpi densely scaled, 

 closely ap])lied to the front and reaching barely to its middle. An- 

 tennae fusiform, bent into a long hook at tip ; the tip tapering grad- 

 ually, not suddenly to a point ; simple in the 9 , laterally ciliated in 



