NOCTUIDjTE. EUPHASIA. 



115 



that it belonged to the present genus, but unfortunately omitted to draw up a 

 more particular description at the time ; I cannot therefore venture to add to 

 the above. 



In Mr. Swainson's collection is a specimen of this species ; but 

 its locality is unknown. 



Genus CL.— Euphasia *, mihi. 



Palpi short : maxittw as long as the antennae ? Antenna; simple, sUghtly pu- 

 bescent within : head broad : et/es naked : thorax smooth : abdomen rather 

 elongate, moderately stout, with a slight caudal tuft ; wings deflexed during 

 repose, entire, glossy ; anterior elongate-lanceolate, the hinder margin rounded : 

 posterior rounded : cilia rather long. 



My constant endeavour in the prosecution of this work being to 

 precede rather than to follow other writers, I cannot consistently 

 unite the present genus with Acontia— a genus proposed by Och- 

 senheimer nearly twenty years since, although by such proceeding 

 the charo-e of innovation may be imputed to me, a convenient term 

 which is usually employed in default of argument to designate 

 every successive advance of science by those persons who are ap- 

 parently not only desirous that their contemporaries should not 

 progress beyond their own limited and capricious views, but pro- 

 nounce every advance as futile. Do we not, for example, repeatedly 

 hear the disciples of the Linnean school term the system of Fa- 

 bricius an innovation ; while those of the latter are equally liberal 

 in the application of the same term to that of Latreille ; the ad- 

 herents to which last, in their turn, reiterate that epithet to those 

 who venture to differ from the Latreillian arrangement? As, 

 however, such imputations have no more weight with me than if 

 they were written in letters of sand upon the briny waves, I shall 

 detach the present genus from Acontia; although, unfortunately, I 

 have merely had a transient glance of the insect (some years since) 

 which forms the type, and which apparently belongs to a sub- 

 tropical group differing from the Acontise by having the anterior 

 wings very glossy, elongate-lanceolate, rounded behind ; the pos- 

 terior rounded ; the head broad; thorax stout; body rather elongate ; 

 and in the texture and colouring of the wings. 



Ew, bene ; (paffn, apparitio. 



I 2 



