64 



British : C. sponsa, C. nupta, C. proinissa, and an aberi-ation 



with cream instead of crimson hmdwings. 



Continental : C. elocata, C. electa, C. pacta, C. dilecta, C. pnerpera. 

 C. fraxini. 

 C. diversa, C. paranympha [fnbninea). 



American : C. concumhens, C. cava. 



C. similis (aholah) and C. chelidonia. 



" I am exhibiting a few species of the conspicuous genus 

 Catocala, popularly known as the ' red underwings,' although not 

 all of them are red. In fact, of the genus in its old and widest 

 sense not only are there species with red underwings, but also 

 species with blue, yellow, very dark brown, and as aberrations even 

 white lower wings. 



" Three species, as you are no doubt all aware, are indigenous in 

 Britain, C. nupta (a common species), C. sponsa and C. proiniiisa 

 (both more local), while a fourth C. fraxini is a doubtful native. 



" The characteristic habits of the British species are pretty 

 generally those of the whole, a love of sweets and the custom to 

 rest on the bark of trees to which the arrangement and colour of 

 the markings on the forewings have an extraordinary resemblance. 

 This resemblance extends even to the larvae of some species, most 

 of which feed upon forest trees and have the habit of resting 

 lengthwise on the branches, on which their somewhat flattened 

 form, their mottled grey and variegated bark-like colour, and 

 the irregularly carunculated sides with hairs directed downwards, 

 render them most inconspicuous. I recall to mind that on more 

 than one occasion I have found the imago sitting on a fence in the 

 brilliant sunshine, but still admirably protected by its colour and 

 marking. The brilliant hindwings are always covered when the 

 moths are at rest. 



" Representatives of our three indigenous species are in the box I 

 exhibit. There is a specimen minus a head of what I take to be an 

 aberration of C. proinissa. It came from one of the late Mr. Tutt's 

 duplicate boxes and I think that it must have been under his strong 

 suspicion, or it would have been in his cabinet. 



" Hoffmann in ' Gross-Schmetterlinge Europas,' ed., ii. (1894), 

 gives the following 22 species as the representatives of the genus 

 Catocala in Europe: — C. fraxini, L., C. elocata, Esp., C. adultera, 

 Men., C. nupta, L., C. dilecta, Hb., C. sponsa, L., C. prouiissa, Esp., 

 C. conjnncta, Esp., C. lupina, H.S., C. pacta, L., C. optata, God., C. 

 electa, Bkh., C. pnerpera, Giorna, C. neonyuipha, Esp., C. nymphcBa, 



