130 [June, 



SOME NOTES O^ THE LEPIDOPTERA 



OF TiJE "DALE COLLECTION" OF BlilTISH INSECTS, NOW IN THE 



OXFOKD UNIVERSITY MUSEUM. 



BY JAMES J. WALIiEU, M.A , K.N., F.L.S. 



{Coiif iituc'd from pu>/e 101). 



Argi/niiis (//re, L. — One undor-sido (a|)[iaiviitl_v c? ) i" fairly good (irdcr, but 

 sligliUy worn ; it is .set low down on ;i ralliei- old lilnglisli pin. Tlio label on one 

 side is " Kirkman's sale, 1817," and on llie oilier side is a note in C. W. Dale's 

 liandwritini;, nearly illegible, but the name " Weaver " can be traced ; a label at the 

 side, " Warwickshire." This is pi'oljably one of the sijeciniens reimled to have lieen 

 taken by Kieliard Weaver at Sutton Park, near Birininghani, about 1S30, whieh 

 were recorded and figured by tiie Rev. W. T. Uree in " Loudon's Mag. Nat. Hist.," 

 vol. V, PI). 750-1 (1832). J. C. Dale also records Weaver's captures of A. dia in 

 " The Naturalist," vol. T, p. 115 (Groonibridge, 1838), and gives on Plate IV a 

 fairly good coloured iigurc of the uiuler-;^ide. 



Argynnh selene, L. — A fine variety, in which the usual fulvous tint on both 

 sides is entirely replaced by clear ochreous-white or bone-colour. " From J. G. 

 Ross, 1870." (C. W. D.). 



Melitiva athalla, Bork.— A very varied series, including the beautiful example 

 of the var. ;>^ro»/a, Hub. (eo.?, Ilaw.), which is figured on Plate IV, fig. 1,2, of 

 Stephens's " Illustrations." It isstill in excellent preservation, and is labelled " Eos, 

 Mr. Howard," and in C. W. Dale's iiand-writing " Taken in 1802, Ilaworth ('oil., 

 Stevens Coll.," and at side " 1.SU3, Surrey" Another closely similar specimen 

 (under-side) is rather 'more sharply marked above, and paler on the under-surfaee, 

 " S. Stevens Coll. 11)00 " (C. W. D.), and at side " Eon, Haw. var." Other examples 

 from the collection of the hito Mr. S. Stevens have the hind-wings greatly darkened, 

 and one lias a broad central dark band on fore-wings; and an extremely fine variety, 

 from t.he same source, is almost uniformly ilark brown above, the submarginal row 

 of fulvous s|iols, and a few faint indications of the basal spots of fore-wing, alone 

 remainiii". A large pale example is labelled " Dirlynna, Haw.," and another 

 curious-looking light form (very old) is lubc^lled " From T. Cooke, Feb. or Mar., 

 1861" (•!. C. D.), and at h\i\{i '■ LesseLLala, Pet., var." ; it agrees with tlie insect 

 thus named, figured in 111. llaust., plate V, fig. 1, 2. 



Jile/iLra cu>.vui,L. — Another good and variable series ; a large specimen wilh 

 very pale ground-colour labelled " Folkestone " at side. 



Melilcta (irleinif, Fab. — The series of this species includes examples from 

 Glanvilles Wootton, Malvern, Penarlh, Carlisle, Rannoch, Piteaple, Aberdeen, 

 Westmeath, Gralvvay, &c. ; there are four siieciinens of the var. pm^claru, and seven 

 of the var. hibernica, Birchall. A nice variety with the base of hind-wings broadly 

 black is labelled " G. King, July 20.59 " (J. C. D.). The two finest varieties are 

 described bv Mi'- J- C. Dale, with good woodcut figures of the upper and under- 

 sides, in Loudon's .Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. vi, p. 378 (1833). The first (fig. 47a, 48a), 

 a ? has the hind-wing black, with a large fulvous blotch at the base, and the 

 submarginal black spots in fulvous rings, the under-side being much suffused with 

 dusky; it is labelled "Enborne, Berks., June 15th, 1813, Mr. St. Maur ?." 



