8 BULLETIN OF THE BROOKLYN ENT. SOC. 



20. Amestris, Streck. 



Anna, Grt. 

 Variety a. Wescottii, Grt. 

 We are sorry in our service of science to he compelled to judge 

 between Messrs. Strecker and Grote in a matter which lias been so 

 prolific of ill-feeling between them. Both claim priority in the naming 

 of three species of the Catocal*. Attempting to get at the truth, 

 irrespective of personal feeling toward either of these gentlemen, to 

 both of whom we are under obligations for favors, we give our judg- 

 ment in favor of the names of Mr. Strecker for the following reasons : 

 1. They are all strictly Catocaline, which all the others are not. 2. 

 The species named are illustrated by good colored figures, which 

 make it possible to recognize the species described. As every one 

 knows, in species so closely allied as are many of the Catocahc, a ver- 

 bal description can hardly be relied on for identifying an insect. 3. 

 And this is the only reason which has legal weight, because Mr. 

 Strecker's names were given prior to those of Mr. Grote. (a). Pre- 

 sumably so. The part of Mr. Strecker's work in which his descrip- 

 tions are given (Part 11 of Rho. 'and Het. of N. A.), completely fin- 

 ished, was received by subscribers before the middle of November, 

 1874, certainly by the 10th of the month. Mr. Strecker claims to have 

 made his descriptions in August, 1874. He writes his own text, is his 

 own lithographer and colorist. The letter type, of which the litho- 

 graphed plates and the date are a part, must be finished before the 

 coloring is done. Ten weeks do not seem a long time to give to the 

 coloring of a whole edition of plates. Mr. Strecker's claim has on the 

 face of it every evidence of truthfulness, (b). If advance proof-sheets 

 count in establishing priority, we have the evidence of gentlemen in 

 Brooklyn that they saw Mr. Strecker's advance sheets in August. 

 Apart from this, complete evidence is given by letters received at the 

 time by Mr. Strecker from Mr. Chas. A. Blake, curator of American 

 Entomological Society, (who saw to the printing of Mr. Grote's de- 

 scriptions), and this we have corroborated by Mr. Blake in writing, 

 that the type of Mr. Grote's descriptions was not set up till the latter 

 part of October or early in November, and certainly was uncorrected 

 for the printer November 10, 1874. (c). It is doubtful whether ad- 

 vance sheets establish priority. They certainly ought not to do so. 

 Mr. Strecker's work complete appeared November 10, 1874. The 

 " Transactions of the American Entomological Society " did not ap- 

 pear until six or eight months later. So, in every way, Mr. Streck- 

 er's names have priority over those of Mr. Grote. Amestris, Delilah, 

 and Judith must stand as the names of the insects, in place of Anna, 

 Adoptiva, and Levettei. 



" "** [to be continued.] 



