characters to separate them — ground color and maciilation. Six 

 specimens, presumably bred from the one batch of eggs, might well 

 be placed in at least three different "species." Two of these have 

 the collars concolorous with the primaries, barely tipped with black, 

 whereas the others have a broad black band at the tips. This is 

 not at all strange in view of the fact that confusa-insiilaris does 

 exactly the same thing. As in placida, no single character seems 

 to hold; nor does anj^ set of characters remain a constant factor. 

 Many of the forms have a slight genitalic difference — mainly in 

 the tips of the valves, which are variable in all other species of 

 the genus. As if a final proof — two genitalia of cupidissima (ap- 

 parently the most distinct "species") proved different. Also two 

 specimens apparently niger; a smaller, slimmer "species" proved 

 different. Then to correlate one of these matched one cupidissima, 

 except a very slight difference in thickness of one of the arms of 

 the valves. 



Perhaps there are definite species in the group. If so it seems 

 impossible to separate them superficially or genitalically. The 

 writer does not wish to "lump" extensivelj^ ; nor to "split" on char- 

 acters of proven unfitness. Therefore, until bred material be ob- 

 tained in quantity it is proposed to place all names -ander the oldest, 

 viz: exsertistigma, Morr. The other names, as far as practicable, 

 will be retained as forms of a variable "species." 



For mere convenience, due to the size of the group, the author 

 treats it in three separate parts, viz : viori-isonistigma, with syno- 

 nyms binominalis and creniilate; cupidissima with ab. laetula=dis- 

 tractaj and the remainder of the group as a whole. There is abso- 

 lutely no reason for so doing except that morrisonistigma and 

 cupidissima-laetula were in enough of a confused state to require 

 long, intricate discussion. It appeared best, due to past confusion, 

 to gather together as much information as possible about the iiior- 

 7'isonistigma and the laetula-distracta tangles; and then to let the 

 reader see for himself the reasons for the disposition of the various 

 names. 



It is the writer's opinion that this group, like "placida/' is in 

 an unstable evolutionary state, and that it is splitting up at the 

 present time to form species. 



