LYCENA. 85 



exception of a few blue scales at base, entirely brown. Beneath, both sexes are coloured and marked as in 

 Ijygdamus. Fringes white, both above and below. Common in California. 



tAMiCA, Edwards, Proc. Ent. Soc, Phil., Vol. II, p. 80, (1863); Syn. N. Am. Butt., p. 36, (1872). 

 Cvpiflo Arnica, Kirby, Cat. Diurnal Lep., p. 376, (1871). 

 As I have no acquaintance with this Arctic species, wiiich Mr. \V. H. Edwards described from the male 

 only, 1 liere append his original description : 



"Male. Expands 1 1-10 inch. Upper side silveiy-blne, brownish nlong the margins, with a narrow, straight discal niarl< on pri- 

 maries; fringe while. Under side glo<sv greyish white; primaries have a narrow discal mark and a curved row of si.ic minnte black 

 spots across the <lisk ; secondaries have a nearly straight row of live minnte black spots, besides two on the costa. one of which is in the 

 middle, the other near the base, all edged with white; ihere is also a snb-marginal row of points and small brown Innules, sometimes 

 obsolete. From Mackenzie's River, by Mrs. Boss." 



tM.\RR()i>A, Reakirt, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc, Phila., p. 245, (1866). Edirarth, Syn. N. Am. Butt., p. 36, (1872). 

 Cupiclo Maricopn, Kii-bi/, Cat. Uiuriial Lep., p. 377, (1871). 

 I do not know this species; when Mr. Heakirt's types came into my possession, tiiis was not among them, 

 nor have I, to my knowledge, ever .seen it. His description reads thus: 



" .Male. Upper side brown, glossed with violet bine; a narrow terminal dark line along the outer margins; a black discal bar on 

 the primaries, s(unetinies wanting, and some obsolete rounded spots on the hind margin of the secondaries. Fringe ash-coloured. Under- 

 neath aah-bro'wn, darkest towards the base. Primaries: a large black discal bar, a sub-central, transverse, sinnated row of seven large 

 rounded black spots all narrowlv ringed with white; following these, and parallel with the margin, another series ot seven indistinct 

 spots. Secondaries: a discal b,ar and two spots, one within the cell, the other aliove it ; three tr:uisverse maculate bands; the first com- 

 posed of eight large rounded black spots, and bent twice at right angles, the second of smaller, and sagittiform, and in common with the 

 third, which is almost marginal, and verv indistinct, runs parallel with the border; all these markings are encircled with white, and the 

 seventh spot of the first and second rows are sometimes coiiHuenl. Expanse 1.25-1.35 inches.- Body black above, with some hhieish 

 hairs; beneath greyish; antenna' bl.ack with white ajinulations, lower part of club whitish. Hab. — California." 



■fMERTiLA, Edwards, Proc. Ent. Soc, Phila., Vol. VI, p. 206, (1866); Syn. N. Am. Butt., p. 36, (1872). 

 Cupido Mert'da, Kirby, Cat. Diurnal Lep., p. 377, (1871). 



It is almost with despair that I turn from one description to the other, always the same monotonous thing, 

 the same stereotyi)ed greyish under side, the same tedious "sinuous rows of spots," and the same everlasting 

 this shape or that shaped discal bar, spot or mark. Oh ! that we could but throw out every description that is 

 unaccompanied l)y a figure, how our labours woidd be lightened, how we would be spared the maledictions of 

 after oeuerations for all time to come. With what boumlle.ss veneration do we look on the tomes of Cramer, 

 Seba,°Drury, Hubner, Hewit.son, and Herrich-Schactter, no winding into countless useless descriiitions in all 

 sorts' of scattered jieriot'licals, but a great massive work— grand, compact, solid, every description accompanied 

 by coloured figures. I never open these mighty volumes but I feel my soul expand in Hallelujahs to the 

 Almio-hty that through his great goodness such intellects were allowed to .sojourn here and to bequeath to us 

 the result of their vast labours. • » • i i 



The.se thoughts were suggested by reading the description of the above cited species " Mertila founded 

 on a female example, and will apjilv to a host of other Lyctenid* equally as well as to this probably mythical 

 one— and although I have not a jiarticle of faith in half the species of this author, I now copy his description 

 of Mertila and hope my friends and enemies will forgive me for inflicting it on them, and my God for wasting 

 the time in so doing. 



" Female. Expands 1 1-10 inch. Primaries long and narrow ; both wings brown, with slate-coloured hairs at base and along inner 

 margin of primaries. Under side clear cineraceoue; bluish .at base; primaries have a single tr.ansverse sinuous row of round black spots, 

 each circled with white, a-s also is the lunule in the arc; from the arc a whitish ray runs towanls base. Secondaries have a row of eight 

 small black spots in points, each circled with white; of these, two are on central margin, four nearly parallel with the hind margin ; the 

 seventh below the others and geminate; the eighth minute, nearlv concealed in the marginal hairs; between the 2nd and 3rd and the bth 

 and 7th the spaces are wide ; on the arc a streak, and midway between this and the base a black point ;^ on the costa above this one slightly 

 larger, .all circled with white. From California. The male of this dislina*) species I have not seen." 



nORCUs, Edwards, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc, p. 376, (1869) ; Syn. N. Am. Butt., p. 37, (1872). 

 Cupida Orcus, Kirby, Cat. Diurnal Lep., p. 377, (1871). 

 Described from a single male specimen from California. 



" Male. Expands 1.1 inch. Upper side prninose blue, paler on costa of primaries ; hind m.argins broadly fuscous ; fringes long, 

 cinereous. Under side grey cinereous, bluish at base; on arc of primaries a narrow black bar bent outwards, and faintly edged without 

 bv white ; on secondaries a faint discal streak ; both wings have a sub-marginal line of points, scarcely discernable. Beneath thorax 

 covered with blue, grey-hairs, abdomen grey ; palpi white above at base, black at tip, and cinereous below; antenna; black annulated with 

 white; club black, tipped with cinereous." 



Pheres, Boisduval, Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr., p. 297, (1852). Edwards, Syn. N. Am. Butt., p. 36, (1872). 



Polyommatus Pheres, Morris, Cat. Lep. N. Am., p. 12, (1860); Syn. Lep. N. Am., p. 89, (1862). 

 Cupido Pheres, Kirby, Cat. Diurnal Lep., p. 362, (1871). 



*i These italics are mine. 



