VARIATION. 219 



the var. myricce, Gn. of Acronyda euphorbice, F. It seems probable, 

 therefore, that some of the numerous forms mentioned by Mr. Tutt are 

 varieties, in the Staudingerian sense, or local races, whilst others are 

 merely aberrations. With the large amount of material that Mr. Tutt 

 haS} and his experience in this family, we may hope that some day he 

 will point out which of the named forms are to be looked upon as 

 varieties, and which as aberrations. More than half of the species have 

 yet to be dealt with by Mr. Tutt, but, amongst those already treated 

 of, a number of varieties which occur in Scotland are mentioned. 

 Probably many others also occur, but as there is no definite statement 

 to that effect we will not mention them just now. So far as can be 

 gathered from a brief examination of the descriptions, the following 

 Scottish varieties are melanochroic or melanic, i.e. they are darker 

 (although not necessarily suffused with black) in colour than the type of 

 the species : — 



Cyinatophora duplaris L. /3 obsaira Tutt ; Asphalia flavicornis L. /3 

 scotica Stdgr. and 7 rosea Tutt ; Acronyda rumids L. a salids Curtis ; 

 Leucania lithargyria Esp. '^i ferrago F., h extralinea Tutt, and t fulvescens 

 Tutt; L. impura Hb. a fuligosina Haw.; L. pal! ens L. /3 edypa Hb. 

 ^cOidi "^ rufescetis Haw.; Tapinostola fulva Hb. '^ punicea Tutt, ^ fluxa 

 Tr., and r] neurica St. ; Hydrc^da niditans L. erythrostigma Haw. and 



6 obscura Tutt ; H. niicacea Esp. 2 briinnea Tutt ; Helotropha hucostigma 

 Hb. a albipiinda Tutt ; Xylophasia polyodon L. a obscura Tutt, ft brunnea 

 Tutt, 7 infuscata B. White and h cethiops Stdgr. ; X, riirea F. e pidris 

 Hb. ^ combusta Haw, and t fiigro-riibida Tutt; Mamesira fiirva Hb. 7 

 infernalis Ev. ; Luperina testacea Hb. 7 cinerea Tutt and h nigrescens 

 Tutt ; Caradrina taraxaci Hb. a sordida Haw. The following varieties 

 are paler than the type: — Cymatophota or F. a scotica Tutt and jS 



flavistigmata Tutt; Tapinostola fulza Hb. /3 ochracea Tutt and h pallida 

 St. ; Xylophasia zollikojen Fi ey a pallida Tutt ; X. rurea F. a argentea 

 Tutt, ft ochrea Tutt and 2 fiavo-rufa Tutt ; Miana fasciuncula Haw. ft 

 cana Stdgr. Some of the following varieties do not fall into either of the 

 above groups, whilst the position (so far as can be learned from the 

 description) of others is somewhat doubtful : — Acronyda menyanthidis 

 Vw. ft scotica Tutt (pale ?) ; Tapinostola fulva Hb. c pygmina Haw. 

 (pale?); Apamea gemina Hb. a rufescens Tutt, ft intermedia Tutt and a 

 remissa Hb.; Cha'ceas graminis L. a gramineus Haw., ft tricuspis Esp., 



7 rufa Tutt and h rufo-costa Tutt. From these lists it will be seen that 

 considerably more than half (28 to 18) of the varieties mentioned are 

 melanochroic (in the sense in which that term is used), thus supporting 

 the statement made above, that in North British specimens there is 

 usually a tendency to a darkening of the coloration. We look forward 

 with interest to the continuation of Mr. Tutt's valuable work. — F. 

 Buchanan White, M.D., F.L.S., F.E.S. (from the Scottish Naturalist, 

 Oct., 1891). 



PoLiA CHI vars. suffusa and olivacea. — In the Ent. Record, ante, 

 p. 200, I think Mr. Mansbridge's note is rather misleading. First of 

 all the hind wings of var. olivacea are not always " white." The colour 

 of the hind wings varies according to sex equally in the type, var. 

 olivacea and var. suffusa. Mr. Robson's var. suffusa has a very distinct 

 deep grey ground colour in both sexes. When Mr. Mansbridge says 

 that var. suffusa seems almost as common as the type, I feel certain 



