2 



pointed out,' comijilcd lor us the most complete bibliijgraphy of the 

 group; Gueiieo, who lias furnished us with tlic best descriptions of 

 the species, and Lcderer, wIjo has given us tlic best deliuitions of 

 the genera. The work of Mr. "Walker is excellent in its mechanical 

 construction, ))ut wortliless in its original matter. How exceed- 

 ingly worthless, alter liaving worked through the descriptions in 

 the British i^Iuscuni Jjists, and examined the collection in the Brit- 

 ish Museum, I cannot find language to exi)ress. The work of M. 

 Guenee is most excellent where that of Mr. AValker is so defective, 

 and Avc have all studied with pleasure descriptions for the greatest 

 l)art so easy to identify. But when we come to study the structural 

 characters of the Noctuidae, it is evident that M. Guenee can no 

 longer help us, while Lederer has undoubtedly given us invaluable 

 information on this point. Dr. Packard has also written upon the 

 present group, and in i)articular we have an article in which the sys- 

 tematic position of the genus Eudryas is discussed. It seems to 

 us that Dr. Packard has followed Dr. Boisduval (and perhaps Dr. 

 Ilerrich-Schaeffer), in referring Eudryas to the Castniares rather 

 tlian to the present group, and that the o])servations made upon the 

 genus in all its stages warrant his intei*pretation of its position. 

 And if wc have studied carefully Dr. Packard's writings, Avith the 

 view of arriving at a proper understanding of the writer's mind, 

 we must have become satisfied that we can fully trust him in a 

 question like the present, which requires a delicate balancing of 

 afhuities and analogies, and a wide acquaintance with the structure 

 of the Articulates. 



The three independent Groups here catalogued, viz., Bombyciae* 

 {Cymatojjhorinae), Noctuae (Noctuelitae Latr), and Noctuo-Pha- 

 laenidi, may be distinguished by structural characters. The Bom- 

 byciae and the ISToctuelitae nearly agree in the position of vein 5 

 on tlie primaries, which has its origin nearer to 4 than to 6, whereas 

 in the Noctuo-Phalaenidi the position of this vein is midway be- 

 tween 4 and 6. These two groups furtlicr agree in the presence of 

 ocelli, which are wanting in the Noctuo-Phalaenidi and also in the 

 Geometrae. The Bombyciae, however, differ from the Xoctuae by 

 the course of vein 7 of the hind wings, which springs from the 

 upper margin of the cell. These three Groups, to the exclusion of 



•Trans. Am. Ent, Soc. 2, p. fi8. 2 gee Harvey, Bui. Buf. Sco. Nat. Sci. 1, p. 276. 



