The study of representative species of butterflies and moths shows us that very different grades of resemblance exist between allied forms inhabiting Europe and North America. I have shown that the modification shows itself sometimes mainly in the larval state; again the perfect insects depart more or less strongly. I have also ventured to decide that these representative species are entitled to specific rank in our nomenclature. They fulfil the conditions of species, since they do not intergrade, and they can be distinguished quite surely by competent specialists.

Neonympha Mitchellii n. sp.

Male.—Upper surface grayish wood-brown, rather dark, without spots or marks, except that the spots on the underside of the hind wings and the dark lines bordering the terminal dark yellow line on the same wings show through a little. Fringes concolorus, in certain lights a little smoky tinged. Under surface slightly paler than the upper, a little more of the mouse order of color, sprinkled with buff scales. Both wings are crossed by four transverse brownish-yellow stripes, so dark on the fore wings as to be yellow-brown, occupying the same position as the same lines in its ally, N. Areolatus, the first and second uniting by a rounded end about a tenth of an inch from the inner margin of hind wings, the two outer—one terminal and the other sub-terminal—also uniting before reaching anal angle.

Head and palpi olive gray; legs olive gray, tibiæ annulated with fuscous; body fuscous. Primaries olive gray, becoming paler toward the outer margin; above the fold is a broken fuscous basal streak, running to a little beyond the middle to the wing; at the end of the cell a small fuscous spot, limited beneath by a white patch. Cilia olive gray. Secondaries grayfish fuscous. Underside of wings grayish fuscous. Cilia of the primaries tipped with greenish gray.

The habits of insects present an attractive and fruitful field of discovery illustrating in many remarkable ways their pecuilar instincts governed by heredity, and more or less conditioned by environment. The power which we call instinct, controlling the habits of insects, has a regularity of action governed by ordinaly conditions, but there are frequent manifestations of adaptation to circumstance, as conspicuous in the several orders of insects as in the various races of mankind.

Cincindela. A glance over the catalogue shows many names marked as varieties of others, and a glance into the boxes of any fair collection shows these same to have a diversity of appearance, that in many instances requires an educated experience to reconcile with their being specifically identical; as for example, a green C. sex-guttata and a black consentanea, or an immaculate green unicolor and a black modesta.

Young larva.—Body dark reddish, inclining to black; otherwise as in the following stage.

Before last moult.—Body black or reddish black, with eight longitudinal clear white stripes, as broad as the intervening spaces or broader, with the exception of the dorsal space. Beneath are three partly obsolete white lines, two of them interrupted by the legs. The head and cervical shield all dark mahogany red, as are also the abdominal feet, the bases of the thoracic feet and two spots on segments 4,5,10 and 11. Thoracic feet black.

This new form was founded by my friend, Mr. James Behrens, of San Francisco, at Upper Soda Springs, Sisikiyou County, near Mount Shasta. The hind wings and abdomen are wanting, but the fore wings are present and in a very fair state fo presevation.

In reply to Mr. Smith's paper, somewhat inappropriately styled “Arctiidœ vs. Noctuidœ,” I would state that my origintal paper in Entom. Amer. on Certhosia had for its main object the pointing out of the errors contained in Mr. Smith's original description of the genus in the neuration. When these errors are corrected according to my statements (which latter in the main seem to be acknowledged by Mr. Smith as correct), the probability that the moth is an Arctian next to Uteheisa is weakened, and, as I have shown it is not a Lithosian, the chances are we must look for its position elsewhere.

In the last isse of the Can. Ent. Mr. Howard, with a commendable solictiude for my entomological reputation, and under a heavy discharge of deadly parllel columns, seeks to evade the question at issue between i. e., who has priority in the use of the generic term Rileya; and not-withstanding the opportunity the was afforded him to rechristen his interesting genus, he seems loath to do so, and again, by a misrepresentation, makes a claim of priority in publication.