THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 325 



with vinous-red costa." This does not quite tally with Hampson's saucia^ 



though I have Calgary specimens fitting both. Tutt gives the original 



Latin description of Haworth's niargaritosa, which was described as a 



distinct species. The colour description reads " alis grises ct?iereis 



nebuiosis," which Tutt sounds right in translating "wings gray, clouded 

 with ashy," but which is again at variance with Hampson's general 

 description and sounds more like his saucia. I have a Calgary specimen 

 which fits it beautifully. In addition to these, our species varies through 

 many shades of gray, ochreous brown and vinous red ; and specimens may 

 be very uniform, or have the costal region either much the palest, or much 

 the darkest part of the wing, or with various mixtures of shades. The 

 way the names stand in our lists suggests either that saucia is the North 

 American form of margaritosa, or that it is a well marked extreme form 

 occurring with us as well as the type, whereas it merely represents one 

 phase, and a by no means striking one, of a long range of variation. It 

 is inexplicable why saucia should be retained in our lists as a variety, 

 whilst such strikingly unlike forms of ochrogaster as guiaris, turris, and 

 insignata (as instances amongst many), be passed as mere synonyms. 



202. Noctua baja Fabr. — This species is listed as sjnitkii Snellen, 

 in Prof. Smith's Check List, 1903, on the authority of Snellen, whom I 

 also followed. It was claimed by its author that our North 

 American form had spined fore tibiae, whereas that occurring 

 in Europe, although superficially almost exactly like ours, had 

 not. (Smith, in Journ. N. Y. Ent. Soc. VI, 99, 1898). Dr. Dyar 

 erred in omitting any reference to baJa whatever in listing 

 our species as smithii in his Catalogue. But in the Kaslo List he 

 restores the old name, remarking : '-An examination of European speci- 

 mens shows them to have several distinct spines toward the tip of the 

 member, well hidden in the vestiture." I have lately carefully examined 

 fourteen British specimens of baja, and find spines on the inside tibise of 

 seven In a few of these I can find a single spine only, just at the lip ; in 

 others there are three or four, rather obvious. As a rule the vestiture on 

 tibiae of my British specimens seems rather thicker than in most of the 

 North American series, but not constantly so. Whether spines are merely 

 concealed or absent from the rest I cannot say. The fore tibiae of most 

 of my native baj'a are not in a position to permit of careful examination, 

 but spines appear to be rather obvious in most of those that are, in vary- 

 ing numbers up to five. In one, at least, in which the tibice are well 



