258 Catalogue of the Pyralidce of California, etc. 



Among those he sent are some extremely interesting Cram- 

 bus-like forms, one with pectinated antennae, too imperfectly 

 preserved for description, but sufficiently so to indicate some 

 remarkable types of this group of the family. Several inter- 

 esting forms have been received from Mr. James Behrings. 



An interesting fact in geographical distribution is the con- 

 siderable extension given to the range of one of the probably 

 cosmopolitan species of moths. I refer to the N^omopJiila 

 noctuella (Schiff.). It has hitherto been reported by Guenee 

 from different parts of Europe, Algeria, Caifraria, Bengal, 

 Pondicherry, Brazil, and Philadelphia. It has also been 

 known by myself to occur in New England and New York, 

 and now it has been received from Oregon, near the Cali- 

 fornian state boundary line, from Siskiyou Co., California, 

 near the Oregon line, and from the vicinity of San Francisco. 

 Occurring so far inland as the settlements about Fort Bid- 

 well, Siskiyou County, and also the newly settled portions 

 of Oregon, it may be inferred that this species has not been 

 introduced by man, and that it is probably autochthonous 

 where it has been observed, at least in America. A variable 

 moth wherever it occurs, it varies in much the same manner 

 in California as in Europe. Such cosmopolitan forms give 

 rise to the suspicion that they are relics of a preceding geo- 

 logic age, which is borne out by the fact that quite a gap 

 separates it from its nearest allies. 



Another point of interest is to ascertain what European 

 features occur in the few species yet known of this family. 

 The assemblage, so far as our rather scanty knowledge of this 

 group may be depended upon, is allied as closely to the fauna 

 of eastern North America as to Europe, as seen in the 

 species of Botys and Cataclysta. In the group of Ptero- 

 phoridse one species quite unlike any European one, so far as 

 I am aware, has a very close ally in New England. 



In the measurements hundredths of an inch are used, and 

 instead of indicating the alar expanse, the length of one fore 

 wins: is ofiven to secure neater exactitude. 



