MACROGLOSSA FLAVOFASCIATA. Ill 



"The nei-vulation has undergone important modifications, while the pterogostic characters in their entiety are very distinctive, 

 and, without any sudden cliange, show the position of this genus as intenuediate between Sesia and Macroglossum, while considerably 

 modified from either." I doubt if any one beside the author of Lepisesia would have acuteness of vision sufficient to perceive either the 

 "important modifications," or the "very distinctive" "pterogostic characters," and in the sense that he uses Sesia and Macroglossum they 

 are but synonyms ; thus the genus Lepisesia is intermediate between Sesia and Sesia, or between Macroglossum and Macroglossum .' Su- 

 perficially, the insect looks a good deal more as if it were between ilacrnghsaa and Pterogon, {Proserpinus, Hb.,) the body favoring the 

 former, and the wings the latter. 



There is as much propriety in Grote's separating this species from Macroglossa as there was in his making the genus Calasymbolus 

 for Smerinthus Asiylus, or Cressonia for Sm. Jvylandis ; although Hubner had first designated the latter as Amorpha Juglandis in Samm. 

 Exol. Schmett., and afterwards taken it from that fictitious genus and placed it in PolypUjchus in Verz. bek. Scbmelt. (1816), all of 

 which Mr. Grote, with his usual sagacity, has been pleased to ignore in favor of his own genus Cressonia, which, of course, is a synonym 

 of Hubner's Polypiychxts, which latter, we may as well add, is but a synonym of Smerinthus, Lat. 



Smerinthis Dyras Wlk., Meander Bdl., and others are much more aberrant in appearance than either Juglandis or Astylus ; yet 

 none have had tlie temerity to create new genera for them, and doubtless none will unless these species should by some mLsehance come 

 under the observation of the author of Calasymbolus, Lepisesia, etc. 



Lepisesia was first placed by Grote at the head of the X. A. Sphingidfe in 1865 ; in a later elTusion Arctonolus Lucidus preceded 

 it ; in his latest effort he has placed it behind Macroglossa (which he has even cut up into several genera), and wedged it in between 

 Arctonolus and Proserpinus ; and in his next spasm we confidently expect to see it jerked down to Sinerinthics and placed between Astylus 

 and Juglandis. Rochefocauld, I believe it was, who said that the only thing that still ought to be capable of causing us astonishment is 

 that we have the power of being still astonished at anything. 



PTEROGON CLARKI^. Boisduval. 



Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr., 2 me ser. X, p. 318 (1852). 

 Thyreusf Clarkice, Walker, C. B. M., Vol. VIII, p. 262 (1856). 

 Proserpinus Clarkice, Clemens, Jnl. Acad. Nat. Sc, Phila., Vol. IV, p. 134 (1859). Morris, Oat. Lep. N. Am., p. 18 (1860) ; Svn. Lep. 



X. Am., p. 154 (1862). Grote & Eobinson, Proc. Ent. Soc, Phila., Vol. V, p. 149 (1865) ; List Lep. N. Am., p. iii (1868). 



Grote, Bull. Bufl'. Soc. Nat. Sc, Vol. I, p. 20 (1873), Vol. II, p. 225 (1875). 

 Lepisesia Victoria, Grote, 1. c, p. 147 (1874). 



(PLATE XIII, FIG. 5 ?.) 



E.f panels 1^ inches. 



Head and body above olivaceous; antennae brownish, darkest above, tips whitish yellow. 



Primaries pale olivaceous with a darker median baiul and discal spot after the manner of Proserpina, 

 Pali.,* a sub-terminal dark line which widens to a large triangular at apex. Inferior wings bright yellow, 

 witli narrow black marginal band ; fringe white. 



Under surface nearly same as Proserpina in colour and ornamentation. Primaries olivaceous, darker 

 parts of upper surface faintly defined. Secondaries olivaceous, with a paler broad median band or space. 



Habitat. Oregon, Northern California Mus. Am. Ent. Soc, Hy. Edwards, Strecker. 



The American representative of the European P. Proserpina, which it strikingly resembles in both colour and markings ; but it is 

 smaller, and the wings are not angulated. 



Grote, when he discovered that his Lepisesia Victoria, lately described in BufT. Bull., Vol. II, p. 147, was a redescription of this 

 species, made the correction in a foot-note in this wise : "From a fresh specimen received from Hy. Edwards I find that my descrip- 

 tion is based on a faded specimen of this species." How astonishingly powerful must have been the action of the light, to have not 

 only changed the colour of the insect, but also to have actually changed the generic characters of his "faded" Pterogon (Proserpina,) 

 into those of his own genus Lepisesia. Keally, Mr. Grote ouglit to see that his types are not exposed to this malicious light ; but, after 

 all, there is no evil without its accompanying good, for if the action of light in fading is powerful enough to change the genus of a 

 dead insect, why may not the same agent be employed, for purposes of utility, on the higher animals. For instance: Why not 

 place all the half-starved, worthless curs, which range at large throujjji our streets, under the action of powerful Grotesque light, and 

 transform them into porkers, ready-roasted 1 Would not Mr. Grote uius be immortalized with but a tithe of the labor necessary to 

 create synonyms and combinations to precede his name ? besides, look at the reward : For the former, millions yet unborn would 

 bless his name as one of the great benefactors of their race; for the latter he would only receive the maledictions of ungrateful Lepi- 

 dopterists for the amusement he will have bequeathed them in trying to study what "Proserpinus Hub., Clarkite Boisd. Clem. 

 Lepisesia Victoria, Grote," and the like, could possibly or impossibly mean. It appears that Mr. Grote has been lately paying consider- 

 able attention to Optics, for another important discovery of his, in that branch of science, is that darkness bleaches specimens of moths, 

 etc., for ip one of his numerous redescriptions of Catocolsf 'le says in allusion to the pale colour of secondaries : "The condition of 

 the specimen does not allow of the suggestion that this change of colour is owing to etiolation ;" we sincerely hope not, for if that 

 be the case we tremble for all the thousands of examples that we so carefully exclude from the light. What if some evening we went 

 to take an inspiring look at our treasures, and found nothing bat blanched ghosts in place of our gorgeous children of the tropics 1 

 no, we pray Mr. Grote may be mistaken ; we don't want our species Darwinized into Pieridse through disease contracted by exclusion 

 from light. We know that celery and cabbage are white v.'hen kept in the dark whilst living, and that fish in the mammoth cave are 

 white also, probably from same cause, but were it not for Mr. Grote's words we would doubt that deprivation of light would disease or 

 whiten a dead insect. Will not Mr. Grote speedily give this important matter further attention, and see if the pallor of the hind wings 

 of his Catocala was not owing to some other cause ? Dare we suggest, homoeopathically, perhaps, exposure to the light ; SimUia similibus 

 curantur. 



*Sphini: Proserpina, Pallas, Spicilegia Zoologica 9, p. 26, T. II, 7 (1772). 



Sphinx (Enotherce, SchiffermiUer & Denis, Syst. Verz., p. 43 (1776). 

 fCatocala Innubens var. Flavidalis, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc, Vol. v., advance sheets of Grote's paper, printed and issued second 

 week of Nov., 1874. The work itself just issued. (Dec, 1876.1 



