274 THE entomologist's record. 



birsuto, alis anterioribus si;bdiapbanis." Wben one comes to consider 

 tbat tbere is no difference between specimens from Ireland and bundreds 

 of European specimens, one can only be amused at tbe acumen witb 

 wbicb Staudinger picked out tbe two cbaracters wbicb vary according 

 to tbe condition of tbe specimens, and are of no structural value wbat- 

 ever. Tbe Bourg St. Maurice specimens are quite indistinguisbable 

 from tbe smaller Irisb ones, as also from tbe smaller of tbose from 

 Courmayeur and otber localities. All of tbese vary somewbat inter se, 

 but tbey evidently belong to tbe lowland type. Tbe specimens from 

 tbe " Higbest Alps " (wbicb Staudinger gives as tbe bome of var. 

 rmbigcna), wbicb we obtained in tbe Cogne Valley and on tbe Mont de 

 la Saxe, at a beigbt in botb j)laces from 5,000 — 7,000 feet, were large, 

 ratber tbinly scaled, and varied somewbat in colour (tbe scaling and 

 variation in tint being evidentl}^ largely' due to exposure), and were 

 not at all like tbe general run of Irisb specimens. It follows, as migbt 

 almost bave been expected, tbat tbe lumj^ing of tbe specimens from 

 " Ireland and tbe Higbest Alps," as nuhigenn, was done on altogetber 

 insufficient data. It must be confessed tbat Lederer's poor description, 

 based on a single specimen, to some extent excuses tbe blunder. 



Lederer calls tbis Alpine form mihigena, Mann, and describes it from 

 a single male specimen wbicb came from tbe Pasterz glacier. Probably 

 tbe name owes its origin to Mann, but was never jjublisbed by bim. 

 Tbe specimen bad " very tbin scaling (like exnians), tbe red is pale car- 

 mine, tbe border of tbe bind-wings, more bellied." He tben adds : — 

 " If tbese cbaracters remain constant in botb sexes, tben nuhigena must 

 be considered as a separate species. It sbould, bowever, be ascertained 

 wbetber minos occurs in tbe intermediate regions, and wbat forms of it 

 are to be found tbere." Guenee's remark tbat var. nuhigena frequents 

 open fields among mountains is vague, for sucb a statement may mean 

 anytbing in altitude from sea-level, to 6,000 feet perbaps. So far, 

 bowever, Guenc'e is probably rigbt tbat tbe form wbicb is found in tbe 

 valleys at a low elevation is more nearl^^ identical Avitb tbe Irisb speci- 

 mens tban are tbose from tbe biglier altitudes, but nuhigena proper does 

 not inbabit " open fields," but tbe bigber pasture slopes of tbe Alps. 



Tbe main point of interest to Britisb lepidopterists is, tbat 

 Staudinger is wrong in connectiog tbe form of tbe species from tbe 

 " Higbest Alps," witb tbe Irisb form. Tbe latter is essentially tbe 

 typical insect of tbe lower elevations, wbicb is found on almost all tbe 

 open mountains, from sea-level up to an altitude of 5,000 feet, in 

 Piedmont and Savoy. Zeller considers as tbe type tbe specimens from 

 sbady })laces in bircb and larcli woods. As a matter of fact, tbe speci- 

 mens from tbe flowery openings intbelarcb woods bebind Courmayeur 

 in no way differed from an}' otbers in colour or in tbe extent or 

 variation of tbe markings, but tbere was, perbaps, a very sligbt tendency 

 to produce somewbat larger females tban in some of tbe otber localities 

 in wbicb tbe species occurred ; tbis I assume to be due almost entirely 

 to tbe more luxuriant vegetation, for witbin a few bundred yards, tbe 

 species occurred on tbe open grounds, witbout any difference observable 

 except tbis occasional one of size. 



Generally speaking, tben, we may look upon our Irisb insects as 

 differing in no way from tbe ordinary Continental type, but as varying 

 from specimens witb tbe blotcbes well-defined, to otbers in wbicb tbe 

 blotcbes become united. Tbis latter extreme aberration, taken appar- 



