I30 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April, '07 



of Grote and Robinson, and they say henrici is smaller than 

 irus. Coleman T. Robinson presented his collection to the 

 American Museum of Natural History, in New York. Mr. 

 William Beutenmuller, curator of entomology of the insti- 

 tution, published a list of the types in the Robinson collection,* 

 and records that of T. henrici. While I had very little doubt 

 of the identity of irus and henrici, I wished to have a speci- 

 men compared with the type and also have certain questions 

 answered in relation to it. Mr. Beutenmuller has very kindly 

 sent me the following information : 



"The type of henrici is apparently a female (body missing). 

 It has no stigma on the upper side of the forewing. It has 

 tails on the hind wings like your Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4. Our type 

 agrees with your No. I in color and markings on the upper 

 and under sides, except that your, specimen has a little more 

 white on the line on the forewing beneath. It expands 27 mm. 

 It is absolutely the same species as your No. 1. The locality 

 is Philadelphia, and labeled henrici G. & R. in Robinson's hand- 

 writing. It is from the Grote and Robinson collection." 



It will be noted that the type came from Philadelphia. If 

 there are two species of Thecla found here that might be 

 designated as irus and henrici, I have failed to discover the 

 fact. It will be interesting to see what others think of the two. 

 Wherever there is great lack of unanimity of opinion, the 

 validity of species is open to question. Mr. W. H. Edwards, 

 in his Catl. of Diur. Lep., published in 1877, puts henrici as a 

 variety of irus. In his Catalogue of 1884 he lists it as distinct 

 from irus. Strecker (1877) puts it as a variety of irus, and 

 says, "smaller. Inferiors tailless." S. H. Scudder, in his 

 Butt. East. U. S. and Can., puts henrici as a synonym of irus. 

 J. H. Cook, Can. Ent. page 216, 1905, contends that irus and 

 henrici are distinct species. There are others who have written 

 on the two names, but have probably not investigated them. 

 In the above we see henrici as a valid species (Cook), as a 

 variety (Edwards), and as a synonym (Scudder). 



In size the species (henrici-irus) varies considerably. The 

 largest specimen I have measures 33 mm. (?) in expanse, and 



*Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist,, Vol. IV., p. 59. 



