'50 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Eugene M. Aaron, Editor of Papilio, 

 Dear Sir: — On my return to the city a few days since, I received No. 5 of the 

 4th vol. of Papilio which you were so kind in sending to my address. 



On page 103, I am pleased to see a notice of my early efforts to make known 

 some things about the Lepidoptera of North America, which had I received suffi- 

 cient patronage I intended to extend to the adjacent South; and made collections 

 and a few drawings with that view supposing that the splendor of the Southern 

 species would meet the public taste ; but was disappointed. This occurred 

 more than half a century since. 



The question about priority in nomenclature is comparatively of modern 

 invention. What constitutes publication it seems is still in doubt. 



The doubted plates were printed and colored, were distributed amongst 

 scientific friends, some colored and others uncolored were deposited in Scientific 

 Libraries. I gave a set to Mr. Doubleday of the British Museum personally on 

 his visit to this country about the year 1836, — probably this is the same now 

 noticed, the descriptions are still in MS. 



I made a rich collection on the Magdalena River, S. A., in 1830-31, of new and 

 beautiful species, but considering it essential that }tczc species particularly should 

 have colored illustrations I have deferred publication, preferring to lose a name, 

 for my pets, rather than give imperfect work to the public by multiplying syn- 

 onyms and disgusting students of Nature. 



The. work alluded to in Papilio by Mr. W. F. Kirby, has been continued 

 from 1833 down to the present day, and has been illustrated by 109 finished 

 drawings, with material on hand for 30 more unfinished drawings, of diurnal 

 species alone; of the Noctucz, I have raised great numbers illustrating the 

 history of each species separately; of Sphingidce I have complete illustrations 

 of twenty species in various transformations with their food, etc. This is not the 

 labor of a day, but that of a life, without hope of publication of a book, or 

 books; from publishers I receive no encouragement; but it is a "labor of love," 

 and don't furnish much nourishment for ihe body. 



I thank you for the notice in the publication of Mr. Kirby's paper. 



Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Oct. i, 1884. Respectfully, T. R. PeALE. 



Pamphila Baracoa, Luc, in Florida. — One of the most interesting cap- 

 tures made in Central Florida this year by Mr. H. K. Morrison, was a fine series 

 of Pamphila Baracoa. This little Hesperid, closely allied to P. Cernes, has 

 always been common in collections from the West Indies, but has never, so far 

 as I can ascertain, been credited to our fauna. That it should be taken in quan- 

 tities is remarkable, unless, indeed, it has heretofore been mistaken for either 

 Cernes or Manataaqua. It is rather more deeply colored; the costal dash is a 

 deeper orange; the markings are usually more pronounced; and the band of 

 spots on the secondaries, beneath, is generally very prominent, though at times 

 almost obsolete. I am inclined, after a hasty e.xamination, to place it with 

 Manataaqua as a co-form of Cernes. A careful study of a large series of all 

 three forms (which I fortunately possess) will probably justify that conclusion- 

 I should be glad to receive from students of the Diurnal Lepidoptera any 

 information in their possession relative to the geographical distribution of Bar- 

 acoa. E. M. Aaron. 



