12 Mr. .Stretch's Rtjuiark.s on f/ie siiiioinpnij of the 



that (£uite a large number of the species figured, were in all 

 probability, not collecte<l on the Novara voyage at all ! The 

 absolute comparison of some few species cannot be made for 

 want (jf figures of the underside, and a certain amount of uncer- 

 tainty sometimes arises from a knowledge of the fact that the 

 coloring is defective in some cases, where the peculiarity of the 

 markings, points out unmistakably the insect intended, as in 

 the case of Holocera Smila.i: 



Ujiwards of fifty species are enumerated which exist in the 

 British Museum cabinets, and were described in the catalogues 

 of the Museum prior to 1867, but it is not strange that some of 

 these should have been overlooked, from the fact of their erron- 

 eous location both in the collection and catalogue. The failure 

 to recognize others such as Etenisia trans oen^u, Walker and 

 Scaptesyle hiculor, Walker is strange, for in spite of all that has 

 been said about the defects of Mr. Walker's descriptions, I have 

 been able to determine from the catalogue, a very large proportion 

 of the species included tlierein. 



In the case of some few species described by Mr. Butler sub- 

 secpient to 1870, there may be a difference of opinion as to the 

 priority of names. It has been argued that because these plates 

 could be purchased in their uncolored condition, that their nomen- 

 clature should date from the year appended to the foot of each. 

 To admit this would be to introduce a troublesome element into 

 a nomenclature already sufficiently intricate. Whatever might 

 be said in favor of admitting such a claim for plates never 

 intended to be colored, and in which the details are consequently 

 carefully worked out, it cannot for a moment be admitted for 

 copper-plates intended to be colored, in which it is notorious 

 that many of the details are left to the colorist. Such plates 

 may be colored to represent several species, and in the absence of 

 letter-press who is to tell whether a certain Lithosia for instance 

 is to be white or drab, or a Lim.acode>i gi'een or brown % For 

 such reasons as these I should give priority to Mr. Butler's 

 .names. In doing so I do not however ignore the right which 

 every Entomologist has to the adoption of his manuscript names, 

 where such may be known to the publisher of the species, nor 

 would I for a moment be understood to underrate the value of 



