152 THE entomologist's record. 



obtained from it through the ordinary " red unidentariaP But all my 

 other evidence points in the opposite direction, as I have seen no other 

 "red ?/;?/(/^«i'rfr/fl " which come at all near the 'Vj'^\C2\ ferrugata. Mr. 

 Sydney Webb considers the two quite easily separable, and refers to 

 the following characters as distinguishing them :— Apex of unidentaria 

 less pointed, fascia broader, hind margin paler without the rivulet 

 transverse lines, hind wings bicolored without waved lines. The width 

 of the fascia seems to me far too variable to be relied on ; Captain 

 Robertson has a beautiful variety of unidentaria in which it is decidedly 

 narrower than in typical designata {propugfiata). In a few extreme 

 cases the hind wing distinction does not hold, but on^the whole this 

 is very reliable, and generally the red unidentaria have paler hind 

 wings than the black, and further removed in appearance from those of 

 Jerrugata. The late Mr. C. S. Bouttell wrote to me : — " I have certainly 

 never hesitated about naming the two species ; the C. ferrugata always 

 appeared to me to have the red colour brighter and of a purplish hue, 

 and the hind wings always smoke-coloured throughout with all the 

 waved lines continuous, whilst in the red vars. of C. tmidentaria the 

 ground colour is more inclined to brickdust red, and the hind wings 

 much lighter than C. ferrugata, and the waved lines not distinct." Mr. 

 A. U. Battley suggests that the discoidal spot on the fore wings is narrow, 

 linear, and transverse in unidentaria, broader in ferrugata, "and 

 inclined in some specimens to become the shape of the moon at first 

 quarter"; that the double pale bar on hind wings is more angulated 

 in unidentaria than in ferrugata ; and that ferrugata is slightly 

 narrower in the wings, and more pointed, than unidentaria. The 

 discoidal spot, however, is, I fear, too variable for the distinction to 

 hold in a long series. 



Other slight differences, not noticed by my correspondents, seem to 

 be : (ci) The " twin spots " of ferrugata are placed on an ochreous 

 patch ; in tmidetitaria on a pale space. (f>) The under surface of 

 unidentaria much less tinged with ochreous. {c) The fringe of ferru- 

 gata more distinctly spotted with dark colour, and others less 

 important. The geographical range of both species in this country is 

 extensive, though unidentaria is said to be absent in some places. 

 The times of appearance of both species are the same — regularly 

 double-brooded, with a tendency {at least in captivity) to produce a 

 partial third brood late in autumn. 



My object in writing these notes and collecting this evidence on the 

 question is not to draw herefrom any dogmatic conclusions, but rather 

 to bring information, as far as possible, up to date, and to stimulate 

 entomologists to further investigations. There are three possible views 

 which may be entertained — that we have one species, or two, or even 

 three : a red, a black, and a variable species sometimes red and some- 

 times black ; but the latter may, I think, be set aside as in the highest 

 degree improbable, notwithstanding that black unide?itaria generally 

 throws, with remarkable constancy, black forms only ; for the black 

 specimens from red parents seem quite indistinguishable from other 

 imidentaria. Of course, there can be no doubt about the common 

 origin of the species, and it would be an interesting question for 

 scientific investigators. Which is the older form ? If the black, then 

 ferrugata would be the most highly developed form, and the question 



