The species is allied to laertes Sm. differing in the more variegat- 

 ed appearance of the primaries and their greenish-black tinge rather 

 than brownish-black as in laertes and melanopa; we have a second very- 

 worn specimen from the same locality which agrees with the types 

 in the unicolorous secondaries ; two $ 's, one from Deer Park Spgs., 

 Lake Tahoe, and the other simply labelled 'S. Calif.' agree in the 

 maculation of primaries with the type of sierra but show a white 

 patch on the upper side of secondaries as in laertes; we propose for 

 these the varietal name of laertidia and figure a specimen on PI. Ill, 

 Fig. 4. 



Polia (Mamestra) brenda sp. nov. (PI. I, Fig. 3). 



Head and thorax clothed with gray scales mixed with black and with a 

 distinct black line across the collar; abdomen tinged with pinkish laterally; 

 primaries with very distinct and decided maculation, gray suffused with smoky; 

 basal half line black, geminate, filled with pale; a short black basal streak; 

 space to t. a. line rather even dark gray; t. a. line geminate, black, composed 

 of three improminent scallops, in general upright; orbicular large, whitish, 

 touching t. a. line, partially outlined with black ; claviform large, almost hemis- 

 pherical, white, outlined with black, and connected with t. p. line by a black 

 dash; reniform very large, white, with a central smoky lunule, partially out- 

 lined in black especially on inner side and resting with its base on t. p. line; 

 an upright smoky median shade, angled outwardly below cubital vein; t. p. 

 line indistinctly geminate, bent strongly outward around cell and dentate, with 

 a single prominent scallop between veins 1 and 2 which is slightly tinged with 

 pale yellowish; s. t. space in general paler gray than median area except at 

 costa where there is a smoky patch with 3 pale costal dots; veins dotted with 

 black and white; s. t. line pale yellow, angled below costa, forming an in- 

 distinct W mark on veins 3 and 4, accentuated by black arrow marks pre- 

 ceding the line and blackish shades outwardly above and below the W; a 

 broken black terminal line; fringes checkered smoky and ochreous; secondaries 

 pale smoky with darker terminal line and pale fringes. Beneath whitish with 

 slight ruddy tinge, primaries largely suffused with smoky with the commence- 

 ment of a postmedian line at costa and a broad indistinct discal lunule; secon- 

 daries paler than primaries with a prominent discal dot and a faint postmedian 

 line, dotted on the veins with black; terminal dark lines on both wings and 

 checkered fringes on primaries. 



Habitat: Stockton, Utah (May 17, Spalding). 1$. Type, Coll. Barnes. 



Seemingly closest to distincta Hbn. but with a much less oblique 

 t. a. line and less heavily shaded median area. 



Polia (Mamestra) delecta sp. nov. (PI. I, Fig. 17). 



Head, thorax and primaries a rather dull smoky brown, slightly sprinkled 

 with gray scales; maculation of primaries rather indistinct, traces of an 



