PIERIS NAPI. 63 



begins it is, imieed, difficult to determine, but tliat Venosa is identical with Napi I am sure; Pallida may, 

 perhaps, have the benefit of the shadow of a doubt, but eventually, I believe ray opinion will be substantiated 

 as to the identity of all three ; both P. Pallida and P. Venosa are comnon in California and adjacenl territory, 

 and could the larvte be discovered, their status as species or varieties could be then defined. 



Fiu-s. 2 and 3 are the ordinary form of P. Venosa, neither the darkest or the lightest marked ; I have 

 others much heavier marked, and, as I before said, between these and P. Pallida, all the intermediate grades. 



Time will prove that tliere are much fewer true species of Le])idoptera than are at present supposed to 

 exist • at first the old authors, owing to the science being in its infancy and couse(|uent want of ojjportunities 

 for observation, in manv instances described males and females of the same species as distinct ; es])ecially was 

 this the case with the tropical Lc])., where tiic sexes, in numerous instances, are entirely dissimilar in a])pear- 

 ance. But through the labors of Horsfield, Bates, Wallace and others, the majority of these errors have been 

 corrected, and latterly, though occasionally some naturalist, through negligence or inability, makes male and 

 female out of one sex, it has" ceased to be a common offence, but in lieu thereof, every microscopic variation of 

 tint or marking is seized upon with avidity in order to create a new species, and equally often is the sanae 

 result attained through he student's negligence in obtaining the proper material for comparison, or in his 

 haste to outstrip some other unfortunate in foisting an old species with a new title on the world, that will be 

 honored by having the al)breviation of his name, like an antient tin-pan, dangling to its tail. 



Though not so palatable to the advowees of multiplicity of species, how much better would it be to en- 

 deavor to define the true status of species already descrii)ed, than to be eternally grinding out new ones, and 

 only giving to after generations the trouble of undoing what has been done, and earning for themselves few 

 thanks and much ridicule. 



P1KK18 RAP.E, LiNN.Kus. 



Rap.e, Linna-us, (Papilio It.) Faun Suec. p. 270, (17G1); Svst. Nat. I, 2, p. 751), (1767). Esper, Schmett. 

 I, 1, t. 3, f. 2, (1777). Hubner, Eur.' Schmett. I, f 404, 405, (1798-1803). 

 Pieris liapw, Godart, Enc. Meth., Vol. IX, p. 161, (1819). BowJuval, Sp. Gen. I, \^. 520, 

 (1836). Staudinger, Cat. Lep. Eur. I, p. 3, (1871). Kirby, Cat. Diurnal Lej)., p. 

 454, (1871). Edwards, Syn. N. Am. Lep., p. 4, (1872). 

 Fontia JUipn; Duvmn, Nat. Lib. Ent., Vol. Ill, p. 117, t. 7, (1835). 

 Taehyptmi. Rapir, Bergc, Schmetterlingsbucli, p. 94, t. 30, (1842). 



Pieris MurginaliH, Scuddn; Proc. Bost. Nat. Hist. Soc. VIII, p. 183, (1861). Moi-ris, Synopsis, 

 p. 321, (1862). Weidemeycr, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phila., Vol. II, p. 151, (1863). Airby, 

 Cat. Diurnal Lep., p. 454, (1871). Edwards, Syn. N. Am. Lep., p. 5, (1872.) 

 Pieris Yrelm, Reakirf, Proc. Acad. Nat. So. Phila., p. 238, (1866). 

 Var. Nelo, Borkhausen, (Papilin N.) Eur. Schmett. I, p. 127, (1788). 



Var. Metra, Stephens, )Prnfia 31.) 111. Brit. Ent. Hanst. I, p. 19, (1827). Duncan, Nat. Lib. 

 Ent., Vol. Ill, p. 119, t. 8, (1835). Pieris M., Wcstirood, Humphrey, Brit. Butt., p. 

 26, t. 5, (1841) Kirby, Cat. Diurnal Lep., p. 454, (1871). 

 Var. Ek«ANE, Ilubner, {Papilio PI) Eur. Schmett., I, f. 904-907,(1827?). Pieris E., Staudinger, 

 Cat. Lep. Eur., I, p. 3, (1871). Kirby, Cat. Diurnal Lep., p. 454, (1871). 

 Pontia Aarcaa, Freyer, Beit. pAir. Schmett., I, t. 43, (1828). 

 Var. Mannii, Mayer, (Ponfia M.) Stett. Ent. Zeit., p. 151, (1851), Pieris M., Staudinger, Cat. 



Lep." Eur. I, p. 3, (1871 ). Kirby, Cat. Diurnal Lep., p. 454, (1871). 

 Var. Leucotera, Stefanelli, Bull. Enf Soc. Ital. I, p. 147, (1869). 

 - Var. Novangli.t:, Scndder, (Ganoris N.) Can. Ent., Vol. IV, p. 79, (1872). 



PLATE VIII, FIG. 6, 7, PIERIS MARGINALIS, Hcudder, (P. Yreka, Reakirl,) g'. 

 FIG. 8, PIERIS NOVANGLI^, Scudder, J*. 



How Mr. Scudder first, and afterwards Mr. Reakirt, could have imagined the examples, which they 

 respectively dubbed P. Marginalis and P. Yreka, were new species, and distinct from the old P. Rapa;, is 

 beyond my ken. I even yet think that INIr. Scudder must have been mistaken when he pronounced the types 

 of P. Yreka identical with P. Marginalis; then again, it can scarce be possible that he would not know his 

 own species! With regard to Mr. Reakirt's determinations there can be no dispute; the figs. 6, 7, were 

 drawn from his two original types of P. Yreka which he described in 1866, and which are now in my cabinet. 



