Notwithstanding the variability of D. varus Grote, of which species D. sesquilinea is stated by Dr. Packard to be the ordinary male form, there can be no doubt that a very interesting species from Maine (prof. Fernald)and Massachusetts (Mr. Roland Thaxter) is distinct from any previously described. In this form the exterior line is without a costal angulation. It may be called Drepanodes Fernaldi n.s. ♀ Larger than the other species, light purplish brown. The two transverse lines composed of broken black lunules shaded with white. A black discal point on primaries. A median diffuse brown shade near the exterior line and continued on hind wings. The exterior line extends straight to costa near apices and is here not angulated; it is continued on hind wings, but merely as a white sub-lunulated line with black pointlets on the veins. Terminal space on fore wings shaded with brown. Fringes on both wings pale. Edge of secondaries brown. Beneath paler than above, sub-irrorate. A common white exterior lunulated line marked by black pointlets on the veins. Discal dots on both wings.

Bronchelia gravilinearia, n. sp.

The general ground color of this species is a light brown, approaching a fawn color. The palpi, however, are of a dark brown.

F. w.—Wing stretch 1¾ in. There are five distinct, dark brown,transverse bands, all commencing on the costa. The first two basal and rather close to each other; the inner of the two somewhat broken. The third very heavy. The fourth is much narrower than the third, and commences on the costa at about one-tenth of an inch from the third, curving until it touches it at about mid-wing, thence running nearly confluent with it to inner margin. The fifth band is not quite so heavy as the third, and is broken at about the third nervule. All the bands curve towards the base, but are not quite parallel. The space between the fifth band and outer margin is thickly .covered with scales of the same dark brown as the bands. Outer margin slightly notched, with a row of dark brown lunar marks. All the bands, except one and two, are extended across the hind wings.

This pretty and interesting species, described by Mr. G. R. Crotch from a single specimen in the collection of Prof. Ulke, of Washington, D. C., who received it from Kentucky ten years ago, has remained unique in his collection until I found it, together with its larvæ and pupa.

Its food is fungus ( Polypora) growing on logs. Its full-fed larvæ are 7/8 inch 1ong, rather slender, of light color, with the head brown; it eats out a cavity in the fungus, and there transforms to a pupa, which is of a pale flesh color.

The American Naturalist for November, 1877, contains on p. 688 the following paragraph:–

“Papilio Cresphontes in New England.–On the 6th of last September Mr. N. Coleman captured in the vicinity of Berlin, Connecticut, the only specimen of this Southern insect ever recorded from New England. As the larva is not known to feed on any other plant than the orange, the butterfly probably hatched from a larva accidentally transported with trees from Florida, or emerged from a chrysalis sent North as a curiosity.”

The writer of the paragraph appears to have mislaid certain pages of recent Entomological literature.

I have usually taken this species at the same place, about one or two specimens a year, and always within ten yards of the place where I first took it six years ago. The trees in the immediate vicinity were Gleditschia triacanthos, Ulmus americana, Prunus serotina and Celtis occidentalis, but it may have fed as larva upon some weeds or shrubs growing near. All of my specimens were taken about the 8th or 10th of July. This year, however, I have captured (June 14th) two specimens (perfectly fresh) on Gleditschia triacanthos at another place, where the nearest tree was Celtis occidentalis, growing some thirty yards away. Its larva and food plant, however, are not yet by any means certainly ascertained.

The fact that Mr. Strecker has seen fit to misstate the circumstances under which this species was named has induced me to correct the impression he may have created as far as possible.

In the descriptional part (p. 30) we say : “We are indebted to Mr. J. W. Weidemeyer for the information respecting this singular little species, which, we believe, has not been hitherto described, while an excellent figure, shown us by Mr. S. Calverley, enables us to present the present description and to fix the species. It appears that Dr. Boisduval has etiquetted a specimen in his cabinet as Proserpinus Phaeton.”

The caterpillar of this beautiful butterfly is living here on Xanthoxylum carolinianum, or Prickly Ash; at least, till now I did not find it on any other plants. It can be found three times in a year, first in April and May, then in July, and again in September and October. If the caterpillars be touched, they stretch forth the reddish–brown fleshy fork from the neck, like all those of the genus Papilio. When they do not eat they are sitting rigid regularly on the surface of the leaves. It is most interesting that in this situation their appearance resembles very much the excrements of birds, on account of their color, consisting of white, gray and brown spots. This resemblance is considerably increased in the earlier stage of the larvae, which are particularly found on open places, and are thus very easily seen.

In Acopa carina Harvey, from Texas, the accessory cell on the primaries is smaller than in a new species which I have received from Prof. Snow from Southern Kansas. In this genus the body is linear and slight,tibiæ unarmed, ocelli small, male antennæ brush-like with distinct joints,thorax with a tuft behind, abdomen untufted, linear. Fore wings 12-veined with accessory cell, from the outer apex of which spring veins 7 and 8; 9 out of 8, a long furcation to costa. Hind wings 7-veined; median vein 3-branched; 8 out of 7 not far from the base. Primaries with oblique outer margin and produced apices. Front with a clypeal plate. Labial palpi narrow, linear, improminent; legs slender, tibiæ unarmed.

This species is smaller and slighter than argenteomaculatas, and differs from any previously described from our territory by the gilded primaries, which are as brilliant as those of Plusia verruca. Dull lilac or pinkish fuscous. Fore wings falcate, with a fine brown line on submedian fold. Between the subcostal vein and submedian fold the wing is covered centrally with large patches of dead gold. There are two brown costal patches, between which are double pale lilac marks, the inceptions of the transverse lines, of which the outer beyond the outer brown patch is alone continuous, broad, irregular. Some dead gold patches about the discal mark, which is finely margined with brown, pyramidal, bright gilded. Three similar bright gilded, triangulate, brown-edged spots, form part of the subterminal line opposite the ceil. Else the s. t. line is narrow and brownish, broadly margined by dead gold shading on either side. Hind wings pinkish fuscous. with orange fringes. Beneath fuscous, without marks; external margin of primaries touched with orange; the short fringes shaded with orange on both wings.

By a slip of the pen the description of this species contains the following sentence: “Annulus about its middle at the tip.” It should read: “Middle and another at its tip.” There are several indistinct costal streaks besides the five larger ones from which it takes its name, and there are four brown spots or longitudinal dashes along the line where the general brownish-gray color of the wing meets the white dorsal part.

G. thoracefasciella Cham.

Sometimes the thorax is ochreous with a transverse brown band between the wings, instead of brown with an ochrey band, and the wings are blotched irregularly with ochreous. The proportion of the two colors varies.

G. ochrestrigella Cham.

In one specimen sent to me by Mr. Behrens the entire space from the end of the cell to the apex. between two of the discal branch veins, is brown.

The occurrence of this species in considerable numbers in this vicinity has afforded an opportunity for comparison with A. aphrodite, the results of which are appended.

It should be stated that although the number referred to is small, yet the unrecorded comparison of over two hundred examples of both species during the past summer has agreed fully with this. In the line before me are five females each of alcestis and aphrodite. In every case the general color of the upper surface is duller in aphrodite, the basal shading heavier and more extensive, and the black markings on primaries heavier; in two examples the color approaches that of A. cybele, while the examples of alcestis exhibit a uniform clear color with hardly any variation.

Male–Expanse 1 8/10 to 2 8/10, inches, average 2 2/ inches. Upper side of primaries fuscous, with velvety discal bar and a submarginal row of gray-ochraceous spots between the nervures. These spots are usually six in number, situated in the consecutive interspaces between the nervules, beginning with the last but one subcostal interspace, counting from the apex of the wing. The second of these spots always contains a black ocellus, pupilled with white. On the fifth intersprce (last median) are usually faint indications of e fuscous dot in about one-third of the specimens examined ; in one instance this dot is distinct and pupilled with white.

For several years past I have searched carefully for larvæ of this species, only to be rewarded with damaged wardrobe and wet feet. This season I determined to try the plan of breaking off the button-bush branches and shaking them over paper spread on the ground. On my first trial I secured one nearly full-grown larva of versicolor, and six half-grown larvæ of promethea. Unfortunately I was unable to visit the bushes again until it was too 1ate. The advantages this method has over that of examining the bushes while standing are manifold.