172 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



2. Anterior wings dull buiif, with stigma clearly outlined ; transverse lines 

 distinct ; the quadrate spot reddish-brown. Posterior wings greyish-yellow ; 

 fringes paler = ab. ochracea, n. ab. 



As no description of these aberrations appears to have been hitherto 

 published, the above descriptions, together with the records of captured 

 examples, and an account of breeding from ova obtained, with further 

 notes on the subsequent pairing of the two forms themselves, and the 

 results of emergence, may be worthy of notice. 



Noctua ruhi has been regarded as a species with a very limited 

 amount of variation in this country. On the contrary continental 

 varieties are known, for Mr. Tutt [Brituh Xnctuae, Sec, ii., p. 124), 

 quoting Guenee, says " it is very subject to variation," and again, " there 

 is no fixity in its modifications." Whatever these continental varia- 

 tions actually are, the European series of this species existing in the 

 South Kensington Museum collections discloses nothing whatever 

 approaching the two yellow forms described above, which appear, so 

 far as my enquiries go, to be confined to a district (Askham Bog) close 

 to this city (York). The first record of ah. Jiava is in British Noctiiae, 

 vol. ii., p. 121. This specimen was a female (but I did not risk it for 

 ova unfortunately, or results might have been obtained much earlier). 

 Later come two other records which appear in the E)tt. Record, both 

 being taken on the same ground as my own specimen. The AUis 

 collection in the Museum here, at York, contains one of the yellow forms, 

 but there are no data attached, although presumably it would be an 

 Askham specimen, where Allis did much work. A small collection 

 formed by a Mr. Helstrip, in York, sold a few years ago, contained yet 

 another example of the cib. t^ava, which I think is now in the collection 

 of Mr. Maddison. Helstrip believes he took the specimen in Askham 

 Bog. Last year in late June, the Rev. C. D. Ash netted a $ specimen on 

 the same ground, but I forget which yellow form it is. She laid a 

 number of eggs that resulted in every moth producing a typical A'. 

 rubi. 



On June 27th I found two of the ab. ochracea together on a 

 sugared thistle, and as it was a windy night I secured them with 

 difficulty. Both turned out to be females, and I decided to keep one 

 alive. During the first night she laid a good number of ova, which 

 she increased in numbers the following night, the whole batch number- 

 ing 129. The ova hatched on July 23rd and 21th, and, being desirous of 

 gettmg as many as possible through as a second brood, I kept the 

 young larvae at a fairly high temperature. However, the usual thing 

 happened, a good proportion grew rapidly and reached the pupal 

 stage, whilst the remainder resisted my efforts to push them on, and 

 were still very small larvae at the end of September, when I handed 

 them over to Mr. Ash to hybernate, with what ultimate result we shall 

 know in a short time. The first emergence was on September 8th, the 

 specimen was hopelessly crippled on one side, but so differed from the 

 parent, being of the richer chrome-yellow tint of the example of 1892, 

 that it aroused special interest, as I had now evidence of the occurrence 

 of two quite distinct yellow forms. Along with these the ab. (or var.) 

 (jnadrata and typical N. rubi emerged. There is no need to give exact 

 dates of the emergences which were spread over a long period, the last 

 being on December 29th. I found when all were out that I had the fol- 

 lowing forms : — (1) Aberrations resembling the ? parent (the male of 



