110 HAUSTELLATA. LEPIDOPTERA. 



Bo. fuscus. Haworth. — Ch. fusca. Steph. Catal. part il p. di. No. 6075. 



Head and thorax of a deep fuscous-black ; anterior wings deep brownish-bJack, 

 with a griseous tinge, having an obscure subtriangular fascia in the middle, 

 visible only in certain lights, greatly attenuated towards the inner margin, 

 and obscurely bordered on each side with a paler striga ; the stigmata are 

 very obsolete, and placed in the fascia, the anterior being ovate or rounded, 

 and the posterior reniform, with one or two paUsh spots on the margin; 

 between the latter and the hinder margin is an undulated repanded striga of 

 an ashy or pale griseous hue ; and on the costa, near the tip, are four or five 

 distinct whitish spots: the posterior wings are clear immaculate white in 

 the male, fuscous, with a darker margin, in the female. Antennae pale fer- 

 ruginous, rather dusky in the female. 



Var. /3. Ch. consimilis. Sicph. Catal. I. c. No. 6076. 



Female with the anterior wings nearly of an uniform pale cinereous, the stig- 

 mata and fascife being only visible in certain lights. 



t Var. y. Ch. orthostigma. Steph. Catal. I. c. No. 6077. 



Female, with the stigmata rather flavescent and distinct, the anterior one 

 rounded, the posterior straight anteriorly, and bounded on the hinder margin 

 with a few whitish spots : the posterior wings very deep fuscous. 



I have no doubt that the above varieties belong to this rare species, which is 

 probably the Noctua lutulenta of Hiibner, so far as I can ascertain by Och- 

 senheimer's description. 



Var. /3. is smaller than either of the others ; and var. y. appeared to be distinct 

 in Mr. Stone's cabinet ; but upon comparison with my own specimens, I am 

 of opinion that it is a mere variety, which is further corroborated by the 

 locality of the specimen. 



All the above described specimens were taken during tlie month 

 of September, in different years, near Birch-wood. 



Sp. 4. nigra. Plate 20. f. 1. — Alls anticis nigris fascia lata saturatiore, stig- 

 matibus fere obliteratis, postico margine externa Jlavescenti; posticis maris 

 albis nigro marginatis,fceminoefuscis. (Exp. alar. 1 unc. 8 — 10 lin.) 



Noctua nigra. Haworth.— Ch.. nigra. Steph. Catal. part ii. p. 64. No- 6078. 



Head and thorax black : anterior wings deep black, obviously denticulated on 

 the posterior margin, with a broad subtriangular darker fascia in the middle, 

 in which are the usual stigmata, but very obsolete, and the posterior one has 

 the outer margin yellowish ; in the fascia towards the inner margin of the 

 wing is a longitudinal darker hne ; towards the hinder margin of the wing, 

 and in the margin itself, are a few obscure yellowish spots, and near the apex 

 of the costa are three or four whitish ones : the posterior wings in the male 

 are whitish, with the margin dusky ; the abdomen is whitish at the base and 

 dusky at the tip; the female has the abdomen uniformly dusky, and the pos- 

 terior wings dusky-ash, with the margin darker. Antennae of the male black, 

 with whitish radii. 



