LOCALITY FOR BREPHOS INFANS. 227 



XXIV. A NEW LOCALITY FOR BREPHOS INFANS M(ESCH. 



This beautiful moth, possessing peculiar interest from its 

 abnormal characters, its northern habitat, and from its close 

 resemblance to the B. Parthenias of Europe, is rarely cap 

 tured by the collector, and has been observed, so far as we 

 know, in only few localities in the United States. Mr. Grote, 

 in Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc., I, p. 189, gives as its range, 

 Labrador, southward through the Eastern States. In the 

 Canadian Entomologist for 1875, VII, p. 40, we have the 

 statement that &quot;Mr. Kuetzing, of Montreal, has discovered 

 a locality for B. in fans, in a clump of white birch, north of 

 the village of Hocheloga the first record, it is believed, of 

 its occurrence in this province [Quebec].&quot; It was subse 

 quently taken, in a number of examples, at Hyde Park, 

 Mass., among white birch. 



Its association in the above instances with the white birch, 

 coupled with the knowledge that the European species Par- 

 tTienias, mdua (notha), and puella (that of the Siberian Mid- 

 dendorfli not stated), also feed on birch, rendered it almost 

 certain that our species would be found to have the same food- 

 plant. 



At the Center locality, and extending a mile or more in 

 either direction, the N. Y. Central Railroad is bordered or 

 has recently been, with a thick growth of white birch. It 

 occurred to me that this would make a very fitting home for 

 B. infans if its range extended to New York, and I accord 

 ingly suggested the probability of its presence there, to one 

 of my entomological associates, Mr. W. W. Hill, who, I had 

 reason to believe, would discover and capture it, if my sur 

 mises were correct. At about the time when it might be 

 expected to appear, Mr. Hill visited the locality, found the 

 moth, and was able to secure examples for his cabinet. 



At my request, he has kindly furnished me with a state 

 ment of its discovery and capture, which I find to contain 

 so many interesting particulars of the habits of the moth, as 



