135 



ON SOME RIO GRANDE LEPIDOPTERA. 



Bv J. A. LiNTNER. 



During the spring' of 1S77 an expedition mainly for the collection 

 and study of birds was made by Mr. George B. Sennett, of Erie, Pa., 

 to the Texas border of the Rio Grande. The successful and valuable 

 results of these studies have been given to the public in a paper by Mr. 

 Sennett, entitled " Notes on the Ornithology of the Lower Rio Grande 

 of Texas, from Observations made during the .Season of 1877," and 

 published in the Bulletin of the U. S. Geological and Geographical 

 Survey for 1878, vol. iv, pp. 1-66. Mr. F. .S. Webster, — then of 

 Troy, N. Y., now of Washington, D. C, — Taxidermist, was associated 

 with him. In addition to some five hundred birds, collections were 

 also made of mammals, reptiles and insects. The latter, which, with 

 a few exceptions, were Lepidoptera, were placed in my hands by Mr. 

 Webster for study and determination. No notes accompanied them, 

 and the only information received in regard to them (with some trifling 

 exceptions ) was that they were collected at two localities, viz. : at 

 Brownsville, Texas, from April ist to April loth, and at Hidalgo, from 

 April 17th to May loth. 



In the spring of 1878, a second expedition was made by Mr. Sennett 

 to the same region during which, in addition to the Ornithological 

 material reported upon in a second paper in the Bulletin of the U. S. 

 Geological a7id Geographical Sur-vey for 1879-80, vol. v, pp. 371-440, 

 a number of Lepidoptera were collected by him at Lomita Ranch,* 

 Texas, during a sojourn there from April 14th to May 20th. These 

 also were placed in my hands by Mr. Sennett for study and for report. 



The collection, although not a large one, was quite an interesting 

 one, as coming from a locality upon the extreme southern limits of our 

 border. It contained some forms of peculiar interest and a few species 

 which proved to be undescribed. Several of the rarer Pierincs were 

 submitted to Mr. A. G. Butler for comparison with the British Museum 

 collections, and upon his report the identifications were made, and the 

 new species are designated as such. 



I greatly regret that my studies of this collection have not, even up 

 to the present, been completed. Several causes have contributed to 

 this delay, chief among which may be mentioned a number of obscure 

 forms of Noctuidce which have not been satisfactorily worked out. I 

 humbly beg the forbearance of the gentlemen who so kindly placed all 

 their material in my hands without urging return. 



* Seven miles above Hidalgo and sixty-five from Brownsville. 



