VARIATION. 125 



siniilis and P. chrysorrhxa, and as it is likely that all hairy cater- 

 pillars once possessed these weapons of defence, it seems reasonable 

 to suppose that hairs and spines, will, even at the present time, 

 confer on their possessors a certain immunity from the attacks 

 of their enemies, and I might add that hairy larvae, as a class, are 

 much more conspicuous, and show fewer signs of "protective re- 

 semblance " than their naked brethren. Concerning the distribution of 

 the two forms, I might mention that when I was at Banaire, N.B., 

 last autumn I beat a few birch trees, and got two larvse of leporina from 

 one tree, both were of the green-white form. I got no others. — 

 Richard Freer, Rugeley, Staffs. 



|ARIATION. 



Hyria auroraria var. — Of the pink or crimson form of H. 

 auroraria, I usually get a few each season. The species does not 

 occur at all freely, and I have only taken about eighteen specimens in 

 two years. I occasionally get red and yellow specimens like those 

 obtained in the south ; but the crimson ones are typical of the species 

 here. — J. Collins. February, 1892. [My typical specimens (red 

 and yellow) are labelled New Forest, Sandwich, Wicken, Hartford and 

 Chippenham, the more unicolorous from Witherslack and Heysham 

 Moss. Those from Thorne Moor appear to be intermediate, but nearer 

 the type. — Ed.] 



Variation of Lepidoptera in Aberdeenshire. — If by the red 

 form of Hadena pisi, Mr. Tutt means insects like those sent round by 

 Dr. Buckell from North London, I can say emphatically that this form is 

 never found here. H. adusta — I never saw pale forms of this species, 

 neither have I seen them unicolorous black ; reddish specimens with 

 rather darker markings are not rare, but our most common form is the 

 dark variegated one. I have (or had) a most curious suffused brownish 

 specimen, without any markings, and I once saw another ; but on the 

 whole, striking varieties are rare. Phigalia pedaria — This species 

 varies much about here, some very pale and others very dark, but never 

 as dark as the Hull specimens ; ours are also not unicolorous, the 

 markings are always more or less distinct. — W. Reid, Pitcaple, N.B. 



Variation of Lepidoptera at Warrington. — H. pisi — I have 

 representatives of the four forms ^ enumerated, and of the red uni- 

 colorous form I bred one last year ; it is the rarest here of the 

 four. H. adusta — I take dark variegated forms most frequently of any, 

 and never saw an unicolorous black specimen. I also get them 

 reddish brown, with transverse lines yellowish, and stigmata whitish, 

 which would most nearly approach the type. — J. Collins, Warrington. 



Variation of H. pisi. — I have bred this species from Barnes 

 Common, Surrey, and also from Wanstead Flats, Essex, but only the 

 two red forms, the Surrey ones inclining to be more mottled than those 

 from Essex. — A. W. Mera, Forest Gate. 



Variation of Odonestis potatoria. — Last year I bred several 

 good and striking varieties of Odonestis potatoria, among the more 



^ 1. Red ground colour ; (a) unicolorous, {h) variegated. 2. Purple ground 

 colour ; (a) unicolorous, (Jb) variegated. 



