j62 



knowledge, is better fitted to settle the matter fairly than 

 anyone else to whom it is of any importance. In coming to an 

 opinion in the matter, Mr. Hy. Edwards will at least possess the 

 advantage of knowing all that can be said on both sides. 



The more difficult work in the genus was the identification 

 in our Collections of the species described by the older writers, and 

 then by Guenee and Walker. This was brought together in 1 868 to 

 1872, when the collection of the American Entomological Society 

 was determined by myself. None of my determinations have 

 been since changed, notwithstanding the amount of wisdom rap- 

 idly developed by Mr. Strecker after the publication of my paper 

 and the opportunity of examining that collection presented itself. 

 Yet two species recognized by me at different times, the Illccta 

 and Niiptialis of Walker, were re-named by him. At this day^ 

 when the original French and English descriptions are not taken 

 in hand, and the difficulties of the earlier students are surmounted 

 by the adoption of their determinations, little thought is given to 

 the labor that was necessary in order to afford a safe basis on 

 which new species could be recognized and described. In the 

 present case the labor was not done by Mr. Strecker, although 

 from the way in which Mr. Hulst speaks of him one would infer 

 that he had performed a great deal of hard work in the genus, in 

 every way. He simply had to pick out from the fresh collections 

 then coming in from all parts of the country, the new species not 

 represented in the Philadelphia collections, and he commenced by 

 suppressing a MSS. name of mine for his Obsc7tra, a name which, 

 I am afraid, is not Catocalijie enough for Mr. Hulst's ear. But, 

 although Mr. Strecker has furnished some hastily drawn and col- 

 ored plates, he has not advanced the knowledge of the genus 

 beyond the new species. He has not cleared up any of the doubt- 

 ful points as to synonomy, but has added plenty of his own. He 

 was not able to separate the sexes of Rclicta, and, after indulging 

 in many remarks as to the insufficiency of descriptions without 

 figures, he described several species with less detail than any 

 other author, and gave no figures of them. Yet such has always 

 been the success of illustrations, that his have stood in the stead 

 of serious work, and have conferred upor Mr. Strecker a reputa- 

 tion which cannot remain when the facts are seriously considered 

 and weighed. The reputation that will undoubtedly permanently 

 appear as the result of that action of Time which Mr. Strecker is 

 so fond of anticipating, can hardly be of a desirable nature, unless 

 the standards of good conduct and good taste, to say nothing of 

 good scientific work, change decidedly from what they are at 

 present. 



But to return to Mr. Hulst's paper and his course with the 

 uescribed species of Catocala. 



I feel sure that AlabavuB, from Alabama and Florida, is quite 

 distinct from Gryiiea, to which Mr. Hulst unites it, without even 



