no The Scottish Naturalist. 



season in the same manner and in the same localities as N. 

 ditrapeziuni. It is, however, more difficult to obtain perfect 

 specimens, as it is usually a little rubbed before coming to 

 blossom. I do not understand why this should be, unless it 

 flies more among the trees and bushes than its neighbours, and 

 indeed I have always found it more partial to the ragweeds 

 which grow under the trees than to those which grow in the 

 open. 



N. brmmea. — Common at sugar and ragwort blossom. I 

 found the larva of this moth in abundance in 1872 on a bed of 

 Scrophularia vernalis, at an elevation of about 400 feet, which, 

 I think, must have been damaged considerably, as it has almost 

 disappeared from the spot since. 



X. festiva. — Is common, particularly at sugar, at an elevation 

 of 600 feet. It is variable, but not so much so here as in Glen 

 Tilt, where I have taken very rich varieties. I cannot say I 

 have ever taken conflua, although I have small festiva. By the 

 way, why is it called confiiia ? I imagined at one time it was 

 because the discordal spots were confluent, but I see by 

 Herrich Schaeffer's figures that this is not the case. 



N. dahlii. — Common at all altitudes, and comes freely to 

 sugar and ragwort blossom. 



N. rubi. — Not uncommon, but local. I find it here in two 

 places at the extremes of altitude. In one near the river, at an 

 altitude of 30 feet or less, the other at an altitude of 600 

 feet. 



iV. neglecta. — Rare. Both varieties occur here. I have 

 taken this moth on heather and ragwort blossom and at sugar 

 above 200 feet. I have not seen it in the lower ground. 



N. xanthographa. — Is most abundant and most variable in 

 every respect. In some specimens the superior wings are 

 almost black, and from this shade they vary down to pale-rosy 

 or cinnamon. I have one specimen very like a pale rubi. 

 The posterior wings in some cases are yellowish-white with a 

 narrowish, dark grey border, and from this they pass through 

 all the shades of grey, till they lose the lighter portion alto- 

 gether and become one uniform dark brownish-grey. It varies 

 also slightly in size. 



(To be continued.) 



