91 



step have been placed in Spilosoma, in which genus Stephens 

 never intended to include them. The latter species, indeed, 

 is not one of the Spilosominse, but of the Arctiinae. 



A most valuable " Catalogue of the Lepidopterous ' Super- 

 family ' Noctuidse, found in Boreal America," by John B. 

 Smith, Sc.D., has been issued as a bulletin of the United 

 States National Museum. With the help of this and 

 Staudinger's well-known " Catalog der Lepidopteren des 

 Europaeischen Faunengebiets," the student becomes for the 

 first time well provided with an index of the species of 

 Noctuidae found both in Europe and the northern part of 

 America. 



I have had the work in my possession but a few days, and 

 have therefore not been able to fully examine into its merits ; 

 but feel sure that the high reputation in which Dr. Smith is 

 already held, will by it be sustained, and probably enhanced. 



I feel it is ungracious to offer a word of criticism on so 

 excellent a work; but I must protest against the new coined 

 word " Super-family." It is quite unnecessary if the ter- 

 mination of -idcE is used for the higher divisions or families, 

 and -incB for the next lower divisions or sub-families, as was 

 done by Swainson, and other eminent naturalists, at least 60 

 years ago, and in the present day is adopted by most ento- 

 mologists, including Dr. Smith's two accomplished countrymen, 

 Messrs. Edwards and Scudder. 



There seems to me to be no sense of proportion in dividing 

 the Noctuidae of Dr. Smith into three families as he has 

 done, using for their names the same termination -idee. His 

 Thyatiridae consists of five small genera with but fourteen 

 species ; Brephidae with but two genera and only five species ; 

 and Noctuidae with more than 200 genera, and thousands of 

 species, of the most heterogeneous character, such as Demas, 

 Acronycta, Catocala, Hypena, and Eticlidia, which appear to 

 be as remote in their affinities with each other as they are 

 from the Thyatiridae ; the Brephidae may, as Mr. Meyrick 

 thinks, be Geometridae. 



It is not intended to be maintained that the number of 

 species in a family, whether small or great, decides its relative 

 classificatory value ; but that, if the Thyatiridae are separated 

 from the Noctuidae as above, the two divisions are not of 

 equal rank. 



The rapid growth of Entomological literature renders such 

 Index Catalogues, as those adverted to, of inestimable value. 

 Would that there were indices for such serial publications as 

 the " Zoologist," " Entomologist," and " Entomologist's 



