46 
Journal New York Entomological Society. 
[Vol. V. 
beliefs than I am conscious of possessing. I think I should believe 
with difficulty that a purely structural character, not correlated with 
habit, could be twice evolved in the same limited group. But I cer¬ 
tainly have believed that the larva of Aglia is derived from the main 
stem of the family Agliidce and quite independent of the Saturniidce , 
and I believe this still. I think that these supposed contradictory lar¬ 
val characters can be straightened out to accord with my classification. 
It seems to me that Dr. Dyar has failed to notice my genealogical tree 
in its vertical aspect. My friend is not impressed as I hoped he might 
be with this magnificent specimen of zoological gardening. The verti¬ 
cal sequence is : Attacus , 
Saturnia , 
Aglia , 
Hemileuca , 
Citheronia. 
But I have separated the interlacing branches and show that there 
are two natural main stems, to the higher of which I most decidedly 
refer Hemileuca. Aglia has so grown over toward the Saturnians that 
Dr. Dyar fails to find its real issue. It does not follow, because Dr. 
Dyar has converted me fully to the value of the larval tubercles, that I 
should be equally fortunate, on a much more modest scale, and bring 
him round to the transposition of Hemileuca and Aglia. But I may 
hope to do so. In my original paper I am much indebted to Dr. Dyar 
for information, without which I could not have cleared the superfamily 
from alien families which had found place in it, nor have made my 
paper so complete. This gratitude is not in the slightest way impaired 
by my attempt to rescue my classification in this one particular from 
an adverse criticism. I am glad of the occasion to insist upon the 
seeming greater reasonableness of my views. 
The difficulty in the way of believing that Hemileuca has inde¬ 
pendently attained the type of Saturnia lies in the physiological steps of 
the progress. It appears to Dr. Dyar to be merely an approaching of 
vein IV 2 to vein IV x at base, but I have shown that vein 1 V 2 remains 
nearly quiescent; it is the cross-vein which becomes transformed so as 
to form a continuous part of the vein.* It is part of a general mor- 
*As I have shown, the cross-vein between IV 2 and Ibecomes oblique in 
Aglia and Citheronia , and shows a step towards Saturnia or Hemileuca ; therefore^ 
so far as the radial evolution is concerned, the two first are the lower. The affinity 
of Aglia and Citheronia lies in the fact, that in both groups the initiatory movement is 
displayed. Hence I derive Aglia from the main stem before Citheronia and after 
Automeris had left it. 
