BULLETIN OF THE BROOKLYN ENT. SOC. 91 



Notes on Samia Cynthia. 

 A few weeks since, I found more than a dozen undoubted cocoons 

 of Samia Cynthia upon Tulip trees, so situated as to make it cer- 

 tain that the larvae had lived upon the trees as their food plant ; 

 during the summer 1 found the larvae feeding upon the Sassafras. 

 Apart from these, and the Ailanthus the ordinary food plant — I 

 have never known the Cynthia of its own accord to choose any of 

 our many shrubs or trees for food. It is certainly interesting, 

 that the only indigenous trees which Cynthia has taken as food 

 plants, (both widely differing from the Ailanthus, and each other), 

 should be what here are the common food plants of its very near 

 relatives Callisomia Angulifera and Promethea. It would seem 

 that something more than mere circumstance had to do with the 

 choice. Taken in connection with the strong tendency of these 

 species to mate with one another, it is likely they are so nearly 

 allied that a generic distinction is not warranted. When the pre- 

 sent fever of genus making has run its course, Cynthia, Prome- 

 thea, and Cecropia will but typify groups of one genus. 



GEO. D. HULST. 



Notes on some species of Thecla. 



On comparing a female Thecla behrii, Edw. with a male T. kali, 

 Strecker I find the species to be identical, and the only difference 

 is in the size, which is however not greater than in the sexes of 

 allied species. 



Mr. Strecker, in his Catalogue of Butterflies, (p. 90) states that 

 T. behrii is unknown to him in nature, which explains his rede- 

 siriptiou of Mr. Edwards species. 



On page 89 of the same work, Mr. Strecker states T. siva, Edw. 

 is perhaps identical with T. damon, Cram (smilacis Boisd.) which 

 assertion I am sure he would not have made had he seen T. siva 

 iu nature. 



T. siva is very unlike damon, and is very close to T. dumetorum 

 Boisd. The only differences I find between them (I have but one 

 male siva) are that in dumetorum the exterior margins of the 

 posteriors are slightly dentated while in siva they are entire. 



On the underside, the faint crescents of white near the exterior 

 margin of the posteriors in siva are bordered above with black, 

 < :h latter is absent in dumetorum. 



GOW L. GRAEF 



