256 



THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



alterations are made from either of these, 

 the order being : — 

 Sphinges 



Bombyces (including the Drepanulidae 

 and Pseudo-Bombyces, as in Stainton's 

 list ; and the Nolidae, as in Double- 

 day's ; and also the Nycteolidae and 

 Cymatophoridae, previously included in 

 the Noctuae). 



Noctuae (including the Deltoides : Aventia 

 flexula, a species that has always been 

 doubtfully located ; and Boletobia fuli- 

 gmaria, an insect hitherto considered a 

 Geometer). 



Geometrae 



Pyrales 



Pterophori 



Crambi 



Tortrices 



Tinea 



This arrangement is much the same as 

 that of Dr. Staudinger and Wocke, except 

 in the location of the Pterophori. To the 

 interpolation of this group between the 

 Pyrales and Crambi we offer a decided 

 objection, and we cannot but think Mr. 

 Smith is conscious that they are out of 

 place where he puts them, for he admits in 

 the preface that he is "unable to demon- 

 strate by unanswerable argument that the 

 Pterophori are not rightly placed in the 

 position assigned to them," and does not 

 advance the slightest reason for the change. 

 "We will never be able to arrange all our 

 groups or species in such a perfectly natural 

 order that each shall be more closely allied 

 to its nearest neighbours than to any other, 

 but we may make improvements from time 

 to time ; and, except to the location of the 

 Pterophori, we have little objection to make 

 to the arrangement, which originated mainly 

 with Lederer, an Austrian entomologist of 

 some note. 



Turning now to details, we have more 

 fault to find. Space will not permit us to 

 point out all the individual objections we | 



have to make, but we will give an illustra- 

 tion or two under each head that must serve 

 as samples of the rest. As far as possible 

 our illustrations shall be taken from the 

 Rhopalocera, as our younger readers are 

 best " up " in that group. 



We very decidedly object to all varieties 

 being considered of equal scientific value. 

 Dr. Staudinger divides them into three 

 classes — Aberrations, Varieties, and what 

 he calls Darwinian Species. The two first 

 terms almost explain themselves ; to the 

 latter he refers all those doubtful forms 

 which may possibly be distinct species. In 

 our view, it would be better to divide them 

 into four classes : — 



Aberrations, or forms occurring singly. 



Varieties, or forms that occur with the 

 type with more or less regularity. 



Local Races, or forms that occur in 

 certain localities and exhibit more or 

 less constant departure from the type. 



Darwinian species, or forms doubtfully 

 distinct. 



In this respect then we think Mr. South's 

 catalogue likely to throw the whole subject 

 of variation into the confusion from which 

 it is just emerging. Thus to give the 

 phenomenal variety of Aglaia called 

 Charlotta, Sowerby. as of equal scientific 

 value with the constant form of Paphia 

 called Valezina, Esper, or the local race of 

 Artemis (Aurinia) called Hibernia, Birchall, 

 is misleading in the extreme. He gives the 

 names Chariclea, Steph., Metra, Steph., &c, 

 as varieties of P brassicce, rapce, &c, though 

 it is well known these names were given 

 under a mistaken belief that the two 

 broods of these species were distinct, and 

 to perpetuate the names is to perpetuate 

 the blunder. Where the variety occurs in 

 this country but the type does not, Mr. 

 South has marked it with an * but he has 

 omitted to explain the mark, which will be 

 unintelligible to many. We notice too that 

 he carefully avoids giving any names that 



