1890.] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 85 



of British Species (Lepidoptera)." These papers are very in- 

 teresting and instructive, and suggest many other Hnes of investi- 

 gation of a similar character. When the Lepidoptera have been 

 more exhaustively studied after the plan adopted by Dr. Hamilton 

 in the Coleoptera, I have no doubt the results will be interesting, 

 and a number of species now considered distinct more on' account 

 of difference of locality than anything else, will be amalgamated. 

 It has been noted that the Pacific coast fauna more nearly ap- 

 proaches that of Europe than the Eastern, but I do not know that 

 in a species common to both countries a greater similarity has been 

 noticed between the Western specimens and those of Europe than 

 the Eastern. Last Summer I had sent to me a number of chrysa- 

 lids of Vdfiessa aiitiopa from San Jose. Cal. , and when they dis- 

 closed the perfect insects I found them all to be intergrades be- 

 tween the specimens found here (Philadelphia) and those of 

 England and Germany. I had previously noticed that the Eu- 

 ropean antiopa could always be distinguished from the American 

 example by the less irrorate character, and usually lighter color 

 of the yellow border of the wings, the former of which is gen- 

 erally most markedly illustrated on the little tail to the inferior 

 wings and the similar projection on the superiors. The European 

 specimens are also usually smaller. The Californian examples 

 are intermediate between the Eastern and European as far as the 

 dark peppering on the border is concerned, and could be readily 

 picked out from the others. I leave it to some one else to point 

 out the significance of the observation. Among the chrysalids 

 there was one, three or four shades lighter in color than the rest, 

 and perhaps also a little larger, which disclosed the rare and in- 

 teresting variety /y^z^a Hdrch. (Verz. Eur. Schmett. p. 7, 1851), 

 of which li7itnerii Fitch (3d Rep. Trans. N. Y. State Agr. Soc. 

 p. 485, 1856) is a synonym. It will be interesting to know -whether 

 a very much lighter colored chrysalis is an indication of a coming 

 hygicea. In Mr. Cockerell's list of "American Species Repre- 

 sentative of European" he omits Vanessa Calif ornica and V. 

 polychloros, which are probably one and the same thing. It would 

 be interesting to know whether Californica produces anything 

 analogous or the same as the varieties o{ polychloros, testtido and 

 pyro77ielas given in Kirby. I do not know of any described va- 

 riety of the American species. Grapta fatmus and G. C-albimi 

 are undoubtedly identical, as has been pointed out by Strecker. 



