SPHINX HARRISII. 117 



Upper surface; primaries ashen, with tiaiisverse mulidate lines and sliades ; two blacit streaks in the in- 

 terspaces between the median nervnh's; fringes white, brown at termination of veins. 



Secondaries brownish, basal half pale, iicarly white ; tliint evi<lences of a mesial band ; fringe as on 

 primaries. 



Under siirtiice brownisii. Secondaries paler at abdominal margin. Fringe asidjovc. 



Habitat. New England, Middle, and others of the Atlantic States. Rare. 



Larva is green, with lateral pale strijies, destitute of the cautial horn, and feeds on Pinus Stroiiis and 

 doubtless other species of Conifunr. 



It has loiiK liei'ii suriiiised tlial tins species iniylit lie identical with Lapara Bombycoides, 'iValker,* which exists at present, as far 

 vn is known, in the sin){le type exai.iple in the lUipeian Collection at the [Juiversity of O.xford ; originally it was contained in the 

 collection of Mr. tSannders, of London, Ensland, wlure it was described fiy Walker ;t afterwards the whole of the Hetcrocera of 

 Mr. Saunders' collection were added to the Oxford Mnseinn. From this nnicine, which is in perfect condition. Prof Westwood liad the 

 kindness lo make for lue an accurate coloured drawing which represents an insect indeed allied to Spliinz Hurrixii, but separated from 

 it by the following ditterences, which Prof. Westwood, to whom I submitted a proof of the accompanying iigure of Harrisii, has indi- 

 cated in a recent letter : Bcrmhycokles is mucli more brownisii in tint, not near so leaden grey ; the thorax is destitute of all black lines ; 

 the dark dashes on middle, near inner margin of primaries, are inore central and nearer to base of the wing; the secondaries are with- 

 out any appearance of dark central fascia; the fringe on anal margin is of same pale dull brown as the rest of wing ; under surface 

 of all wings is uniform pale dull brown. 



The tigin-e of Prof. Westwood is also larger than any example of Harrisii I have yet seen, being about 2s inches in expanse. 



In Grote's last List of N. Am. Sphingida; he has given Ellema Harrisii as a synonym of Bombycoides, but without stating any 

 reason for so doing. 



With Ellema Harrisii has long been confounded the previously described Sph. Coniferarum, wdiich latter was long looked on as a 

 myth, owing doubtless to its great rarity. 



Dr. Clemens, in his Monograph in Jnl. .Vcad. Nat. Sc, Phila., states in connection with Sph. Coni/ei arum : "The specimen 

 Dr. Harris described under this name, as I have ascertained from a photograph, was E. harrisii. This is probably likewise identical 

 with S. coni/erarum. The discovery of the larva of harrisii will remove any doubt respecting the identity of the insects." 



It is not safe to depend entirely on pictures, be they ever so accurate or even photographic. Whether Dr. Clemens' opinion 

 above cited be correct or not, it is at least evident that Dr. Harris was acquainted with the larva> of Coniferarum, Abbot & Smith, as he 

 says on page 328 (Ins. Inj. Veg., Ed. 1862) : "the curiously checkered caterpillar of Sphinx Coniferarum on pines;" the larva of Har- 

 ri.^ii is not "curiously checkered," but is green with lateral and sublateral stripes of yellow and white. 



SPHINX SEQUOIJE. Boisduval 



Lep. de la Californie (1869). 



Henry Edwards, Proc. California Acad. Nat. Sc. (1873). 

 Hyloicus Sequoice, Grote, Bull. But}'. Soc, Vol. I, p. 27 (1873), Vol. II, p. 228 (1875). 



(PLATE XIII, FIfi. 17 cf.) 



E.xpai 



mds 2 inches. 



Head and body grey, two black lines on head extending thence along upper edge of tegulse ; abdomen 

 v/ith a black dorsal line, sides with alternate black and white bands. 



Upper surface, primaries grey, with short black streaks in the cells, and one transverse one, accompanied 

 by a shade near the exterior margin ; fringes brown and white alternately. 



Secondaries brownish, without marks ; fringes white on abdominal and inner half of exterior margins, 

 rest brown and white alternately. 



Under surface brownish grey. 



Habitat. California. Mus. Boisd., Hy. Edwards. 



The original of Fig. 17 was lent me by Mr. Henry F^ldwards, of California, and is, probably, with the exception of Dr. Boisdu- 

 val's type, the only example extant in any collection. In Mr. Edward.s' Memoir on Paciiie Coast Lep., above cited, he says: "I had 

 the good fortune to take a fine ^ of this rare species in Bear Valley, in .June, 1872. It was hovering at mid-day over a pool of water, 

 darting down occasionally to drink. The specimen from which Dr. Boisduval made his description was captured by the late M. Lor- 

 quin, at Grass Valley, resting on the bark of a Redwood tree, (Sequoia semperuirens — Lamb.)" To Mr. Edwards I am indebted for the 

 opportunity of presenting the figure of this rare species. 



*C. B. M., Vol. VIII, p. 233 (18-56). 



t"Cinereous. Fore wings with a zigzag oblique black line, and with several lanceolate black marks. Hind wings brownish, 

 paler towarils the base ; cilite white. Length of the body 10 lines ; of the wings 24 lines. 

 Canada. In Mr. Saundprs' collection." Walker,"C. B. M., Vol. VIII, p. 233. 



