476 NORTH AMERICAN NOCTUID.E — SMITH. 



a tendency to a double clasper, or rather to an additional corneous pro- 

 cess, varying from a mere rudiment to a stout spatulate process or 

 large hook. ]STo generalizations are attempted, and the attention of 

 the student is called to the plate, where he can make his own com- 

 parisons. 



Group incincta is less compact than any of the preceding. The an- 

 tenna) are bipectinate, the primaries with marked apices and oblique 

 outer margin. 



Incincta and suffusa are comparatively slight species, with elon- 

 gate, slender abdomen. The former is rather obscure luteous brown, 

 the s. t. Hue preceded by a dark shade, the stigmata concolorous, 

 rather faint. The latter is more gray, brighter, yet not sharply marked, 

 the s. t. line folloived by a dusky shade, the stigmata large, distinct, 

 pale. 



The remainder of the species are plump, heavily-built insects, with 

 usually short, conic abdomen. 



Obtusa is a small, broad-winged form, very dark gray, maculatiou 

 obsolete, secondaries white. It fits nowhere, very naturally, and is 

 wedged in here as being most easily recognizable at this point. The 

 other species are large insects with dirty fuscous or luteous secon- 

 daries. 



Pectinata is reddish-luteous, powdered with black scales, the lines 

 interrupted, pectinations of antennae very long. It is an easily recog- 

 nized species, the peculiar color and very regular black speckles giving 

 the appearauce of thinly scaled wings. 



Terminata is a pale luteous form, with darker s. t. space, which ren- 

 ders the terminal space paler by contrast ; it is, however, a shade paler 

 than ground color at any rate. 



Subfnscula is aberrant in color, and indeed somewhat in habitus, but 

 is after all best placed here. The primaries are ash gray, the median 

 space somewhat darker, and the transverse lines are distinct, black, 

 dentate. Mr. Grote placed the species in Anarta, but it seems to have 

 little in common with that genus. In tabular form the differences ap- 

 pear as follows : 

 Slender, slight species, abdomen elongate. 



S. t. line preceded by adark shade, ordinary spots concolorous, indistinct. incincta 



S. t. line followed by a dark shade, ordinary spots distinct, pale suffusa 



Stout, robust species; abdomen shorter. 



Small, primaries short, broad, dark gray, maculatiou obsolete, secondaries white, 



OBTUSA 



Large species; secondaries not white. 



Reddish luteous, powdered with black ; lines interrupted ; pectinations of male 



antennas very long pectinata 



Pale luteous; s. t. space darkest, relieving and rendering prominent the pale 



terminal space terminata 



Ash gray, median space darker, transverse lines distinct black, dentate, 



SUBFUSCULA 



Tailing off the genus is the group alia or incerta. For a long time 

 alia was considered synonymous with the incerta of Europe, and so Mr. 



