110 THE entomologist's T!KrOT^T). 



LiPAKis MONACHA VAR. EREMiTA. — 111 spitc of the Startling revelations 

 about the dark race of L. monacha recently figured in the Ent. Record, I 

 think that Mr. Tiitt's statement in vol. iii., p. 305, is too sweeping. His 

 words, as they stand, seem to imply that all the dark races of monacha 

 now being reared in Britain, have a Continental origin ; l)ut snch is not 

 the case as the following facts Avill show. Starting with eggs laid l)y a 

 typical Avild J , caught in the New Forest, in 1.S87, Mr. W. H. B. 

 Fletcher of Worthing, has, by a process of careful selection from the 

 progeny of this single wild moth, bred some very handsome and ex- 

 tremely dark forms, and as the race becomes darker each year, it is most 

 probable that some of the next generation will be perfectly black. 

 [Vide, ante, p. 21. — Ed.]. I may also mention, that Mr. C. Gulliver, 

 of Brockcnhurst, Avas fortunate enough to take an exceedingly dark (J 

 specimen — as dark, I should say, as the one shewn in fig. 5, on the 

 Plate in the liccord — in the New Forest last year (1892), so there can 

 be no doubt that, in that locality at any rate, L. monacha shews an in- 

 herent tendency towards blackness, although the very dark forms are 

 but rarely met with in nature. — Eustace E. Bankes, The Eectory, 

 Corfe Castle. Janiianj, 1893. 



Melanism in Yorkshire Lepidoptera. — In the last No. of the 

 Ent. Record, pp. 88-90, is part of a paper I read at the South London 

 Ent. Society's Meeting of Feb. 9th. I was unable to send the re- 

 mainder in time for pulilication last month, but do so now. It is as 

 follows : — " Larentia did//mata. — Melanism in dklymata has often been 

 recorded of the male, but collectors generally do not seem to be aware 

 that it exists to a marked degree in the case of the females. M3' series 

 is composed of specimens from all over Yorkshire, and includes an 

 almost Avhite form from limestone districts, as well as dark varieties 

 from Horsforth, which approach in depth of colouring to the pale males 

 from chalk districts in Kent and Sun-ey. Hj/pstpetes sordidata = ehtata, 

 Hb. — This polymorphic species is very abundant on the Yorkshire 

 moors, the black form being as common as that marked with gi-een. 

 Melanip2)c hicoJorata. — This insect is decidedly darker than southern ex- 

 amples. I have seen some very pretty varieties in the York collections. 

 M. ocellata. — The transverse bar in this species is a deeper purple than 

 in specimens from the southern woods. M. galiata. — Four examples 

 given to me by Mr. Porritt represent the Huddersfield form : the 

 transverse bar, and, in fact, all the markings are much darker than in 

 the southern examples which I possess. Melanippe fnctnafa. — The 

 visual range of variation is found in the Horsforth district, but on their 

 first emergence in spring very dark specimens are taken ; these, 

 however, are not common. Bivrncea farfella. — This is a species very 

 prone to melanism, black forms lieing foiuid near every large town, 

 but especially is this the case in the North. At Leeds 50 per cent, are 

 black, about 47 per cent, smoky, while only 2 to 3 per cent, are of the 

 typical form. As one goes aAvay from the smoke the percentage of 

 black forms decreases, while the percentage of the type increases in the 

 same proportion. 



In my preliminary remarks I descrilied the artificial condition of 

 the environment in the Leeds district. It will be seen that the most 

 prominent feature is the extraordinary amount of smoke turned out ]iy 

 the various factories which crowd the district, this leading to a permanent 

 darkening of the trees, etc., which darkening is, to some extent, 



