204 I Februiivy, 



united into irregular fasciae ; but I have nothing approaching the 

 extraordinary aberrations produced in Yorkshire and Lancashire. 

 On the other hand, a captured female is the largest and whitest I ever 

 met with. 



Melanippe montanata sometimes occurs in the hill districts, with 

 the central band of the fore- wings unusually dark ; but the vast 

 numbers which enliven the lanes in the lower country are all of the 

 usiial English forms. 



Although no black Xylophasia polyodon has yet occurred, several 

 other Noctuce show decided and interesting phases of variation. 



Epunda lichenea is of a rich and dark green-grey, with faint 

 dappllngs of rufous on the stigmata, and pale band. Reared speci- 

 mens are decidedly handsome. 



A7ithocelis lunosa, in its dark form, is of a very rich black-brown, 

 but the drab and red varieties, although scarce, are quite normal. 



A. pistacina, on the other hand, is less variable than I ever saw 

 it before, but then it is also less common. 



Orthosia lota, among plenty of the ordinary colour, presents an 

 occasional specimen in which the red irroration is so strongly developed 

 as entirely to suffuse the fore-wings with the bcautifiil colour of the 

 sub-terminal line ; and in the still commoner Xanthia ferruginea there 

 is a somewhat similar heightening of colour, especially in the nervurts 

 and other markings. One specimen, however, is suffused with pale 

 Zefl</-colour. 



Of a dozen Xylina petrificata taken at the ivy-bloom, several 

 are as pale as the palest English specimens, but others have the 

 reddish tinge well developed, and the stigmata more than usually 

 marked. 



Among the Pyrales, the only noticeable variation is a Scapula 

 ferrugalis, spotted and suffused with dark brown ; but all the other 

 specimens seem to be of the ordinary type. 



Now I will not attempt to philosophize upon these small data 

 (lest, haply, I get out of my depth), but will just point out that the 

 special peculiarity of climate likely to affect these species, is its 

 excessive moisture, and that the tendency is (as suggested) to deepen 

 or intensify the colour and markings, but that there is not, with this 

 abundance of rain, an excessive decrease of liyht, since the rain falls 

 rapidly and heavily ; there are comparatively few cloudy days loithout 

 rain in proportion to what are experienced in drier districts ; and the 



