62 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 
vears, took the next three specimens, one of which he has lately exchanged 
to Mr. Salle. Again, on Dec. 31st, 72, under some board traps in dry 
grass, near water, my first specimen occurred, and for three succeeding 
days a unique was taken. ‘Their habits are probably gregarious, living on 
the ground, and as the collecting grounds in the vicinity of New Orleans 
are limited, owing to swamps, they may be found to occur more plentifully 
in Northern La. They are very active and graceful, taking alarm at the 
least noise, and run with great rapidity, keeping the antennae in constant 
vibration ; when placed in a collecting bottle containing Cyanide of Potas- 
sium, they would seize hold of some other insect and proceed to drag it 
off, imitating certain species of ants. The drug, however, quickly quiets 
them. 
ON MR. SCUDDER’S SYSTEMATIC REVISION OF SOME OF 
THE AMERICAN BUTTERFLIES. 
BY AUG. R. GROTE., BUFFALO, N. Y. 
[PAPER ‘NO. 2.] 
Since it is conceded that the law of priority is invariable in its applica- 
tion to zoological nomenclature, it remains for us to apply it to the 
determination of our Butterflies. That some inconveniences may arise 
from the correction of errors, does not militate against our desire to be 
right. The question is, are Mr. Scudder’s genera well founded, or, are his 
names entitled to precedence, not is it convenient for us to use them. 
Without as yet entering an extended discussion upon the structural 
characters of our Butterflies, we will briefly notice Mr. Scudder’s genera. 
1. Oeneis, Hubner (1816.) The type and first species mentioned 
under this name by Hubner is /Vorma. While five species are cited under 
this genus, Hubner refers two more to Eumenis, viz.: aello and ¢arpeja. 
But the type of Eumenis is &. autonoe. It is difficult to avoid the con- 
clusion that we must retain Oeneis to be correct, while regretting the 
necessary abandonment of Chionobas, so sonorous and accustomed a name. 
In our North American fauna we have, besides the species cited by Mr. 
Scudder, Ocen. chryxus and Oen. Uhleri, described under Chionobas by 
Doubleday and Reakirt. Chionobas Sévetchiz, Edw., does not belong to 
