VARIATION. 45 



sibylla was also in poor condition, and so was Pararge achine. We 

 again met with Enodia hyperanthus ab. arete and ab. caeca, and we 

 succeeded in taking some very fair specimens of Coenonympha arcania. 

 < '. iphis was getting over. 



We had a few brilliant days, but on a good many of the days on 

 which we have reported captures there was sunshine only at intervals, 

 and, on some days, the weather was hopelessly bad. On the whole, 

 however, we did better entomologically than in any preceding year, 

 and the majority of the specimens that we brought back were in 

 perfect condition. We can strongly recommend Weesen, Alvaneu 

 Bad, Pontresina, and Campfer as entomological centres. The only 

 English entomologists whom we met were Mr. and Mrs. Travis, but 

 we also made the acquaintance of a German entomologist, Professor 

 Thieme, who visits Pontresina every year, and knows its entomological 

 resources very thoroughly. He maintains that the specimens of E. 

 flavofasciata met with at Pontresina are a local race, markedly distinct 

 from the specimens found further east, and he has named them var. 

 thiemensis. 



'W A R I A T I N . 



Melanic Amphidasys retularia. — I observe in The Entomologist's 

 Becord for October 15th last, p. 250, a notice having reference to 

 melanic specimens of Amphidasys betularia — "in the south and south- 

 western counties it is still rare or absent." Again, on p. 251, it says — 

 " Melanism may be affected by heavy rainfall and a damp climate, or 

 the neighbourhood of large towns." During the winter of 1904-5, I 

 obtained tbree pupae of Amphidasys betularia close to Yorktown, 

 Surrey. This place is close to the junction of Hants, Berks, and 

 Surrey, and as far from any excessive smoke as one could wish for. 

 The climate, too, is very dry. Yet of the three pupae two came out 

 perfect melanic specimens, quite black ; the third was about normal, 

 but well dusted with black spots. These three pupae were obtained 

 miles from each other. I had no time to breed A. betularia larvae, but 

 from the fact that two out of three pupae found promiscuously were 

 perfect melanic specimens, I can only surmise that black betularia are 

 common in southwest Surrey. — B. Tulloch (Capt.), Haddon House, 

 Babbacombe Road, Torquay. January 2nd, 1907. [Data on melanism 

 should be exact. We do not see how the pupae were all taken "close 

 to Yorktown," yet " miles from each other." — Ed.] 



Aberrations of Leucania favicolor. — During the past year I 

 obtained some beautiful specimens of an aberration of Leucania 

 favicolor. These examples were of a very pale primrose-yellow, and 

 appeared to be intermediate between ab. lutea, Tutt, which is deep 

 primrose, and ab. pallida, Mathew, which is of a pale wainscot-brown 

 without any trace of yellow. These specimens were bred last July 

 from eggs laid by a female of ab. lutea the year before. — G. F. 

 Mathew, R.N., Dovercourt, Essex. January 2-it/i, 1907. 



Note on Fidoma gonspiouata ah. fumata. — In reference to Mr. G. F. 

 Mathew's remarks on Fidonia conspicuata ab. fumata, I appear to have 

 half-a-dozen specimens referable to that aberration. These were bred 

 in the spring of 1888 and were of the first brood, being the offspring 

 of parents which were bred in May, 1887. Some of the brood 



