134 LEPIDOPTERA. 



in Stdgr. Cat.), and sinks without doubt M. Guenee's con- 

 color. 



AciDALiA suBSERiCEATA, Haw. and another, versus 

 A. MANCUNiATA, mihi. 



Under the name of AcidaUa vetei'ata, Mr. C. S. Gregson, 

 assisted by Mr. E. Newman (The Entom., vol. iii. p. 160) 

 has described an insect which he considers to be distinct 

 from A. suhsericeata, and the true type of a species, of which 

 A. mancuniata is a sexual or stunted or both sexual and 

 stunted form. Under these circumstances he is of opinion 

 that the name mancuniata should be dropped, and his own 

 — xeterata—Yei?k\\\e(i to indicate the Lancashire '* wave." 



If it turn out that A. veterata, Greg., and mancuniata j 

 mihi, are parentally identical, tlie latter being the less 

 favoured offspring in point of size, then the question, (i. e., if 

 it be a question,) remains for the decision of somebody more 

 able and less partial than, in this case, either Mr. Gregson 

 or I can possibly be, " IVhich name shall take j)viority?^' 



If on the other hand, and this would seem to require even 

 a greater amount of judgment and discrimination, these rival 

 candidates should be found to be both distinct from A. suh- 

 sericeata and from one another, then the sooner A. veterata 

 takes its place in our lists the better. 



But a third solution of the difficulty is not beyond the 

 bounds of possibility; for it may so happen that neither is 



distinct from suhsericeata, and then why, then Mr. 



Gregson and I will find ourselves much in the position of 

 the two cock-robins in Kingsley's " Water-babies," who 

 fought for the possession of a worm, and when one of them 

 came off victorious the vanquished swore that it was not a 

 worm at all. And this climax seems by no means impro- 

 bable, for if all accounts be trustworthy an ingenious theory 



