— 1 3— 



may belong to a new genus. The species is the smallest with which I am 

 acquainted in the family, measuring only 6 mm, and has the appearance 

 ot a small Tabanus. The hind tibiae have minute spurs. The head is that of 

 Taba?ius (sensu strict.), except that there is no callus, the front is rather 

 broader, and the antennae have only two very small terminal annuli of 

 the third joint, the basal segment of which is large, only a little longer 

 than broad, gently convex below and obtusely angulated in the middle 

 above. The body is light yellowish brown, thickly pollinose, the wings 

 hyaline with a brownish stigmatic spot. The eyes in life apparently had 

 the upper half green and the lower purple. 



Noctuids common to Europe and North America. 



By John B. Smith. 



In the "Verh. k. k. zool. bot. Gesellschaft in Wien'' 1874, pp. 273 

 to 319, is a paper on the above subject, by Mr. H. B. Mceschler, than 

 whom perhaps no one has a better collection of Insects from boreal 

 america. From Labrador especially he seems to have sources of supply 

 not open to the majority of collectors, and not a few of the species de- 

 scribed by him are unknown to the American student. To the courtesy 

 of Mr. Mceschler, who at the request of Mr. A. W. P. Cramer sent me 

 for study a small lot of northern species, and among them his types, I 

 am in a position not only to speak intelligently as to his species; but 

 also to correct some errors which have crept into his article. As the 

 heading to this article implies, I speak of the Noctuids alone, and more 

 particularly of the species of Agrotis. 



Agrotis augur Fab. = haruspica Grt. Mr. Mceschler refers approv- 

 ingly to Speyer's note on this species. Speyer calls them varieties, nam- 

 ing the american form grandis. Grote had previously named the species 

 haruspica and retains the name as referring to a distinct species, and in 

 my opinion correctly. Augur is uniformly smaller and with very dist- 

 inct maculation, and is distinguishable at a glance from its European 

 ally. Not that alone would afford reason for their distinctness; but the 

 fore tibiae are much more heavily spinulated in the American form, and 

 the genital organs of the $ are obviously different. In haruspica the 

 side piece is wider at the middle, and narrows rather abruptly to an ob- 

 tuse tip. The clasper is short, stout, with an abrupt curve forming one 

 cjuarter of a circle. In augur on the contrary the side piece is much 



