THE VIOLET NEPHELODES : OCCURRENCE OF TUB MOTH. 107 



embraces but two other species, viz. : iV". mmians, occurring with N. 

 violans, and N. ruheolans, doubtfully from New Holland. 



The moth is not numbered among the common species. Ordinarily, 

 so far as my observation extends, it is rather rare, but in the year 

 1876 it was somewhat abundant in the vicinity of Albany, and Mr. W. 

 W. Hill captured, at Bath-on-the-Hudson, forty examples between Au- 

 gust 30th and September 15th, where it had not occurred during several 

 preceding years. Mr. George Norman records it as "common at light 

 and sugar," in his Captures of Noctuidm at St. Catharines, Ontario, 

 in 1874. In his paper on Captures of Noctuidce near OriUia, in 

 the Province of Ontario, Canada, he represents it as very frequent at 

 light, rest, and sugar;" the locality is near Lake Simcoe, in lat.4:4^°. 

 Mr. Hill, in his Adirondack collections during the years 1875-1878, 

 captured but five examples (all males), occurring between Aug. 3d 

 and Aug. 22d : in some of these years collections were not made dur- 

 ing September when the species may have been more numerous. The 

 earliest date at which I have taken the species is Aug. 2d — the latest, 

 Sept. 11th. I had never found it otherwise than rare until the year 

 1877, when it was not at all uncommon among the very large collec- 

 tions made, by sugaring, at Center, N. Y. 



An interesting fact in regard to this moth is the worn condition in 

 which it always presents itself to our notice. I have never seen a per- 

 fect specimen — all have been rubbed more or less over portions of 

 their wings, their fringes broken, and colors dulled. Not having 

 reared the species from the larva, all have been flown examples, but, 

 without doubt, some had been but a short time from the pupa. Of 

 many other species, I have captured abroad and at sugar, hundreds of 

 examples in such condition that the most critical collector would not 

 hesitate to call them perfect. The uniformly worn condition of N. 

 violans has often been remarked upon, but no satisfactory explanation 

 has been given for it. Mr. Norman, in his list of one hundred and 

 seventy-four species of Noctuids occurring at" Orillia, says of this, 

 as of no other species, "always in bad condition." Mr. Thaxter, 

 in an extended list of species, also singles it out for the comment, "al- 

 most always in poor condition." 



Guenee, in describing this species, suggests that it may possibly be 

 but a local variety of the species which he describes at the same time 

 under the name of Nephelodes minians. The two have been regarded 

 as identical by some of our writers and they are catalogued as K. 

 minians, emdyav. violans in the new check-list of Mr. Grote, but from 

 the differences shown by examples in my cabinet and in those of Mr. 

 Meske and Mr. Hill, in Albany, where they are arranged as distinct 

 species, I shall regard them, for the present, at least, as distinct. In 



