{October 1884. BULLETIN BROOKLYN ENTOM. SOC. VOL. VI. 89 
6. What should be taken as the starting point in nomenclature; 
some have taken the 12th edition of Lin. Syst. Nat. while others have 
taken the roth edition? 
No decided opinions were elicited though preferences were stated. 
Prof. Fernald expressed surprise that Hiibner’s Verzeichniss genera 
should be so generally ignored, though they were after a fashion de- 
scribed, while Guenee’s genera of micros proposed in the Index metho- 
dicus, though not sanctioned by one word of description were universally 
adopted. 
Dr. Horn thought the case might be parallel to that of Erichson 
and Motschulsky both of whom had proposed some generic terms and 
had not described them; but while Erichson’s genera were all adopted 
because they always were we'l founded, Motschulsky’s were as uniformly 
ignored because usually unfounded. 
Mr. Smith said as to (Vocfuidae the parallel would hold. Prof. Fer- 
nald said, not so of Zort¢riczdae; Guenee has just as many baseless genera 
as Hiibner has, 
Sept. 4th —On this occasion the meeting was held at the Ac. of 
N, Sc. in the rooms of the Am Ent. Soc. Mr. J. H. Emerton exhibited a 
large number of his types of spiders recently described by him, and the 
collections of the Society were open. 
Mr. Smith gave an account of the secondary sexual characters of 
some Lepidoptera, notably Wocturdae and Deltoidae, illustrated by black- 
board sketches. In the Delfoids these characters are most aberrant; in 
the Herminiunae the anterior coxa is slender, much elongated, the femur 
a mere shell, furnished with a dense tuft of long hair} the tibia is more 
or less aborted, and modified into a flattened plate, also furnished with 
a large tuft. The first tarsal joint which is usually mistaken for the tibia 
is greatly elongated and is inserted into the tibia near to the base. In 
Palthis the tibia is very short, and the tarsi developed to an enormous 
extent. In addition the G Palthis has a very long tuft of hair on the 
terminal joint of palpi. Various antennal peculiarities were noted. 
_ Renita has a strongly bent joint at basal third, from the base of which 
proceeds an articulated appendage fringed with hair. Zanclognatha has 
a different bend and lacks the articulated appendage. The modification 
in the of! of Heliothis paradoxus and other forms with pellucid spots on 
primaries was discussed, and the questions raised: what purpose do une) 
server what value shall they have in classification? 
