NOTE ON WESTERN SPHINGIDÆ

It is one of the pleasures which we older Entomologists alone feel to its full extent, when a well written paper, full of matter, falls under our notice on a favorite subject. Such a pleasure I experienced on receiving the June No. of the “old reliable” Canadian Entomologist, and the Rev. W. J. Holland's paper on our Sphingidæ opened before me. Supplementing, as it does in various points, Professor Fernald's valuable pamphlet, it will be welcome to all interested in the beautiful study of our Hawk Moths. Upon these I need not further dwell. I wish here to point out, in reference to the interesting remarks on our Westem Sphingidæ, that on page 8 of my “New Check List” I say that I am indebted to Mr. Henry Edwards for various assistance, and that “I have received from the same Entomologist information as to the synonymy of certain Western Sphingidæ.” Now the only two which have any synonymy beyond the original name are Occidentalis and Vancouverensis, and these are the ones meant. In fact the only Western form I ever possessed in my own collection was a specimen of S. perelegans, which seemed to me undoubtedly a distinct species, nor have I ever made any study of our Western forms. In my “New Check List” I omitted the use of the dash (—), which I have generally used (following Leconte) in my shorter lists after species unknown to me in nature.