On some of the Genera of our Sphingidae. 



I'.v rkui-. C. II. Fer.nai.I), Staik LUli.h.k, Okdno, Mk. 



In 1758, Linnanis. in ilie tenth edition of his Systema Natura-, 

 established the genus Sphin.x. making four divisions: the first containing 

 those with the outer margin of the fore wings angulated; the second, 

 those with the wings entire and the abdomen without anal tufts; the third 

 with entire wings but with anal tufts and the fourth of uncertain location. 



In 1775, Fabricius published his Systema En torn ologias in which he 

 adopts the Linnean genus Sphhtx. restricting it to the first two divisions 

 given by Linnaius, and established the genus Sesia for the third division 

 and the genus Zygaena for the fourth. In his Genera Insectorum, pub- 

 lished in 1776, Fabricius gives the characters of his genera and although 

 very superficial, those given for the genus Sesia appear to apply better to 

 the so-called ^^gerians than to any of the Sphinges although he had 

 some of both under his genus Sesiii. 



In 1805, Latreille, in the Histoire Naturelle des C'rustaces et In- 

 sectes, vol. 14, p. 134, separated ////o*', otW/t/A; and />»/>////■ from Sphinx 2irn\ 

 established (or them his genus Smerinthus, and removed s/e/hi/arum, /in i- 

 forniis and bombyli/ormis from the genus Sesia where Fabricius had 

 placed them and located them under the genus Sphinx. This move 

 purified the genus Sesia of its incongruous species and left it restricted as 

 now used by the French and (Jerman Entomologists. 



Ill 1807. Fabricius prepared his Systema Glossatorum in which he 

 rotricleii the term Sesia to certain species of iheSphingida^and proposed 

 l\\>i generic name Aegeria for the group afterwards known by the English 

 h'.ntomologists as the AtgeriiJae. Dr. Hagen in his invaluable Bibliotheca 

 Entomologica, states that this work of Fabricius was never published and 

 onlv advanced sheets were sent out, anil the maiuiscripi was lost. But 

 Lalreiilc had two vears previously, as shown above, restricted Sesia to 

 those species for which Fabricius in an unpublished paper proposed the 

 w.xmit Aegeria. We should therefore regard Aegeria as a 'synonym of 

 Sesia as restricted by Eaircille. I should never have iroubleil myself or 

 anvbody else with this history Imi for the rea.st)n that the French. Germans 

 ami some .Americans have alwa\s used these terms in the Latieillian and 

 correct sense, while the English and many among us have used them in 

 the Fabrician sense. For the sake of uniformity somebody ought to 

 change, and as the iMeiich and ( iermans are now really using the lerm> 

 lorrectlv. we can hardly e.xpect them to do so. The English have useii 

 llie terms Aegeria and Aegeriidae so long that it will be a long time bc- 

 r,,r.> ihcv will a.lopt new terms, but while we are revising our work and 



