NORTH AMERICAN LEPIDOPTERA. 51 



slight lateral exteusion of the median shade. Secondaries smoky fuscons, out- 

 wardly somewhat darker. Beneath paler, more whitish, powdery, with an outer 

 line and discal spot on all wings; primaries with disc fuscous and outer line 

 incomplete. Expands 1.37 inches ; 34 mm. 



Habitat. — Sierra Nevada, Cal. (McGlashan). 



Very closely allied to brunneigera Grote, with which it agrees in 

 all structural characters and in the ornamental characters deter- 

 mining its reference to the messorla group. It differs in the pale 

 ground color, the greater size of the ordinary spots and the distinct 

 outer shade combined with the partly obsolete s. t. line. 



Types, a male in the Rutgers College collection ; others in collec- 

 tion Hy. Edwards. 



Agrotis silticolR sp. nov. — General color a mixture of red and clay yellow, 

 varying to a definite bright red-brown or deep brick -red. Collar with a dusky 

 central line not apparent in dark specimens. Primaries always with a darker 

 shade before the s. t. line, and usually the terminal space also is darker. In fully 

 marked specimens the niaculation is as follows: basal line geminate, indistinct, 

 included space paler than ground color; t. a. line geminate, slightly oblique, 

 strongly outcurved between veins, included space ])aler; t. p. line very even, 

 parallel with outer margin, geminate, inner line crenulate, fine, included space 

 pale, outer line vague, often wanting; from this point the s. t. space usually 

 begins to darken to the pale s. t. line, which is very irregular, sinuate, outwardly 

 curved over veins 3-4, and again over veins 6-8, intervening inward angle quite 

 sharp. Claviform wanting ; orbicular round, or a trifle oblique, pale ringed, with 

 concolorons, or somewhat paler centre; reniform large, kidney shaped, pale 

 ringed, incompletely outlined inferiorly. where it is somewhat dark filled, out- 

 wardly pale marked ; the cell between the ordinary spots is usually darker, 

 sometimes black, and in such case in pale specimens a distiTict; dark, median 

 shade crosses the wing from that patch. From this complete niaculation the 

 variation is in the direction of obsolescence ; the basal and t. a. lines are the first 

 to go; then the t. p. line becomes indistinct, and the pale included space alone 

 is sometimes seen crossins the wing; then this goes and only the s. t. line re- 

 mains, and this is evident in all the specimens: the darker preceding shade is 

 also permanent, but variable in intensity, while the terminal space may be either 

 darker, concolorous. with, or paler than the ground color. The ordinary spots 

 are always traceable, but vary in the line of obsolescence. The most strongly 

 modified specimen is dark brown-red, with all save the .f. t. line lost, the pre- 

 ceding shade very slightly marked, ordinary spots coucolorou.s, the pale defining 

 line very narrow. Secondaries in the % soiled whitish, with a narrow dusky 

 outer border; in the 9 ftiscous. Beneath powdery, primaries more reddish, 

 secondaries whitish, no outer transverse line secondaries without distinct discal 

 spot. Expands 1.2.5 — 1.40 inches; 31 — 35 mm. 



Habitat. — Sierra Nevada, Cal. (McGlashan j. 



A large series of this interesting species is before me showing what 

 I hope is the entire range of variation of the species which is a diffi- 

 cult one to place in a table by reason of its variability. It is very 



