l)y Boisduval in "Species (jencral" and "Lepido])tera dc la Califoinie. ' 

 It is possible thai not a few of these may exist with a wrong locality at- 

 tached to the specimens, as shown by Mr. R. H. Stretch (Can. Entom.) 

 with regard to Dystauxes viediasiiyia, Hiibner, and b}- Mr. Grote, (Ann. 

 L\c. N. York), with reference to one of Hoisduval's s])ecies of Thyris, 

 and \o Sph. Sirohi. If this be so, however, it is well that we shoidd 

 know it, in order that confhcting opinions regarding such species may be 

 set at rest. On the oilier hand, it is probable that a few of the species 

 mentioned may \et await re-discovery by our entomologists, and that 

 tl'ev are fully entitled to a position in our lists. 



1 may here state e. g. that Sph. lycopersici, Bois. , is the Californian 

 forn-. o{ Phltgethoftiius Carolina^ L. , and that it is a heavier insect, much 

 lighter in coloration, and in every way entitled to at least a varietal name. 

 Ikit on this, and such sul)jects, I desire to speak more fully later on, and 

 I will ndt therefore anticipate. Mr. Grote's admirable "Check List" has 

 been of immense service to all lepidopterists, and considering the great 

 amount of labor involved, it is remarkably complete. But it is to be 

 regretted, that though ]\Ir. Grote did not desire to cumber his work with 

 too great an attention to synonymy, he should have omitted some nam.es 

 of older authors which would have lightened the labors of the student. 

 It was hardly possible in a list of the character to which we allude, that 

 some omissions should not occur. These I have endeavored as far as 

 possible to repair, and I hope that very few species (if any) accredited to 

 North America, have been passed over by me. The present catalogue 

 contains 13 genera new to our fauna. It enumerates 247 species and 

 varieties of which 151 have been published since Grote's list — 47 were 

 omitted bv Mr. Grote, and 49 bear the names of older authors, and are 

 among the doubts waiting to be cleared away. I desire however to state 

 that among ]\Ir. Grote's omissions in the ^Egcn'mLr, I am responsible 

 for II species, thus reducing those left out of the "Check List" to 36 — a 

 very small number indeed, when we take into account the volumes to be 

 searched and the references to be made. The present catalogue com- 

 mences with the Sphingi(Le and ends with the Hepialidce. I have in some 

 cases altered the names of the families and subfamilies, using those which 

 are most popular, but have endeavored to follow closely the sequence of 

 the genera as given by Mr. Grote, removing the genus G7iophccla how- 

 ever, to what is now conceded to be its proper position, viz : near to the 

 Arctiida. The references have been made with care, and I have in all 

 cases added the year in which the species is described. As nothing 

 human is perfect, I shall be greatly indebted to any of my friends if they 

 will point out errors, and offer suggestions, should an appendix to this 

 catalogue be called R>r. 



