Article beginning on page 175.
Psyche 7:175, 1894.

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December 1894.1 F's2THA'. 175
poecilogonic forms, while preserving a
great resen~blance in the adult state,
cannot be crossed and this inability to
cross facilitates the divergence of the
two species even if they come in
contact in some point of their habitat.
It is thus, that, according to Grote and Smith, Agrotis kiz~~us$ica and A. rubi-
fera are the American representatives
of the European A. aagm and A. di,
from which they differ only in the
genital armature of the male ; but that
these modifications may be effective
they should perhaps recede and cleter-
mine the poecilogony instead of being
caused by it or produced by it. This
question is hard to solve at present and stands with the numerous problems
that Romanes has stated in his work on
physiological selection. In other cir-
cumstances poecilogony seems to be
due to the varying nourishment of the
larvae. If certain caterpillars are
moclified directly by' the supporting
plant as is known to be the case among
a great number of species, we know
also that some are adapted definitely to a determined plant and are protected
by a permanent form, a different livery. Poulton has stated, as well as other
authors, that many caterpillars die of
hunger rather than touch nourishment
for which their race has lost the habit. Perhaps it is to poecilogony of nourish- ment that we should attribute the
differences found in the caterpillars
of Cwulla verbasci and C. scrofula-
rz'ae, moths, the similarity of which in the adult state is not easily explained
by convergence. Further, certain cases
of resemblance among insects, in which
the larvae differ but live in the same
localities, sometimes upon the same
plants, are difficult: to interpret under one or the other of these alternatives
which we have indicated (convergence
or poecilogony) . We cite for example
Lit& cowplananu and L. Zuri-
dooZu, Deilephilu ewhfwrbiae and D.
nicaeu.
Finally the only purpose in this short
note is to state a very important
problem of general biology, touching
at once embryology. ethology and
taxonomy. Perhaps on certain sides
the problem is capable of experimental
solution. In any case the question
ought to receive light from our spe-
cialist friends, if they will study into the numerous cases of the kind enumerated
above, which pass daily under their
eyes, and of which they, better than
any others, can state precisely the
actual value.
In "The butterfly hunters in the Carri-
bees" (N. Y., Scribner) Mr. E. M. Aaron, in theguise of a learned "Dr. Bartlett," takes two boys of a friend collecting in the
Bahamas, Hayti and Jamaica, and brings
them back laden with spoil and honors,
culminating in their election into the
Philadelphia Academy. What with history
and other matters butterflies themselves play a minor part, but there are some observa- tions due to personal experience which lend a certain value to the book. It ought to interest boys, for it has the odor of the camp about it, but we could wish there had been less of the mercantile spirit in it. It is well printed.




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