The Scottish Naturalist. 249 



7. Vanessa Cardui, Hepialus Velleda, Anaitis paludata, Cidaria 

 munitata, C. albulata. 



6. Nemeophila Plantaginis, Agrotis hyperborea, Mamestra 

 dentina, Cidaria didymata, C fluctuata, Penthina Schulziana, 

 Gelechia ericetella. 



5. Vanessa Atalanta, Hepialus Humuli, Agrotis pronuba, 

 Dianthecia nana, Plusia Gamma, Anarta melanopa, Cidaria adae- 

 quata, Eupithecia nanata, Tortrix musculana, Steganoptycha 

 mercuriana. 



4. Sphinx Convolvuli, Agrotis strigula, A. C-nigrum, A. lucer- 

 nea, Luperina Haworthii, Hadena adusta, H. monoglypha, H. 

 basilinea, Caradrina quadripunctata, Dasypolia templi, Lygris 

 testata, Cidaria immanata, Eupithecia venosata, Scoparia ambi- 

 gualis, Crambus pratellus, C. culmellus, Phoxopteryx unguicella. 



3. Hadena furva, Cochylis badiana, Aphelia lanceolana, Dich- 

 rorhampha plumbagana. 



2. Agrotis cursoria, Hydroecia micacea, Cidaria bilineata, 

 Scoparia crataegella, Grapholitha succedana. 



1. Agrotis xanthographa, A. glareosa, Hadena fasciuncula, 

 Scoparia alpina, Cochylis Thuleana, Endemis littoralis, Glyphip- 

 teryx cladiella. 



In the above arrangement of groups the species brought to- 

 gether under group 9 have the widest distribution, viz., over 9 

 countries. The species of group 1, which has the narrowest 

 distribution, have been observed only in the Shetland Islands. 



The preceding table makes no claim to absolute accuracy ; and 

 it has indeed some very grave errors, e.g., Plusia Gamma has 

 certainly a wider distribution than is shown by its place in group 

 5. But on the whole the list gives a fair idea of the kind of dis- 

 tribution of the species under similar climatic conditions ; and 

 this was, in truth, the chief aim of this paper. 



In conclusion — the Lepidopterous fauna of the Shetland Islands 

 shows a less northern character than their comparatively high 

 latitude would lead one to expect. All the butterflies of the 

 genera Argynnis, Ei-ebia, (Eneis, &c, characteristic of the north, 

 are absent, as are also the greater part of the northern Agrotidee, 

 Hadenidw, Anartw and Plusice. The fauna of the Shetland 

 Islands seems quite to be an outpost of the peculiarly middle- 

 European fauna of Britain, pushed forward towards the Arctic 

 circle ; a fact which may be most easily explained by the probable 



