A SMALL COLLECTION OF INSECTS FKOM NICAKAGUA. 189 



I cannot help directing attention to one of Mr. Quail's concluding 

 remarks. After stating that the number of segments of a larva 

 should be stated as fourteen and not thirteen, as described by 

 Meyrick and many other authors, he quotes from my description 

 of the larva of H. virescens, thus: — "The head is large, dark 

 brown, very irregularly striated, and covered with a few short 

 bristles. The first segment is hard and shining, meaning thereby 

 the first thoracic, otherwise the prothorax, or, consistently, the 

 second segment. Errors in colour may be the lithographer's, 

 but errors in letterpress must be the author's, and by a man's 

 writings so we must judge his capacity as a student." Of course, 

 strictly speaking, I should have referred to the segment in ques- 

 tion as the second segment ; but in reading the entire clause the 

 segment indicated is clearly that immediately following the head, 

 and I do not think that there could be any misunderstanding on 

 that point. To dwell on slight figures of speech in this way 

 shows, to my mind, a spirit of ungenerous criticism, and not 

 merely a laudable desire for scientific accuracy. 

 Karori, Wellington, New Zealand : March 30th, 1900. 



ON A SMALL COLLECTION OF INSECTS, CHIEFLY 

 LEPIDOPTERA, FROM NICARAGUA. 



By a. G. Butlek, Ph.D. 



A SMALL consignment of insects in envelopes was recently 

 forwarded to the Museum by Senor M. Deoclesians Chaves, of 

 Managua, who was anxious to obtain their names ; it included 

 several species of value to the Museum, notably Myscelia imttenia, 

 sexes of Papilio panares, Cr. ; but, as might be expected in the 

 case of a Central American collection, nothing new to science 

 was received. The following is a list of the species : — 



Nymphalid^. 

 Lymnain^. 



1. Tasitia eresimus {S'), Cramer. 



2. Lycorea atergatis, Doubleday and Hewitson (worn). 



iTHOMIINiE 



3. Dircenna euchytma, Felder. 



4. Hymenitis oto, Hewitson. 



Morphine. 



5. Morpho hyacinthus, Butler. This may perhaps be a 

 variety of M. montezuma ; it is characterized by the dark, acutely 

 zigzag discal line, bounded on both sides by a pale stripe on 



