138 THE entomologist's record. 



the specimens found in the Riesengebirge, a range of mountains in 

 Silesia, and those taken in Shetland. There is much in common 

 between the flora of the Riesengebirge and that of our Scotch moun- 

 tains, several critical Hieraria being practically indistinguishable when 

 gathered from the two localities, which are so widely separated geo- 

 graphically. The European distribution of (■(infiua, as given in the 

 work of the two Speyers, is of interest; translated it reads : "Previously 

 only known from the mountainous regions (Sudeten), and the Arctic 

 regions, but lately also in Switzerland, in the plains of lower Saxony, in 

 Belgium and in South Sweden, unless some of these determinations 

 have been erroneous. In the high mountains of Silesia the larva 

 feeds on I'oli/i/iniKiii lu'storta. Iceland everywhere, and very common. 

 Scandinavia (in Schonen very rare). Archangel and Belgium? rare." 

 I have seen no specimens from the southern countries, and until I do 

 shall feel very sceptical as to its occurrence in Belgium, etc., but 

 what is to the point is that one typical and characteristic form extends 

 in a direct line from the Riesengebirge, through Southern Scandi- 

 navia and Shetland, to — what may perhaps be considered its head- 

 quarters — Iceland. 



The Museum series shows cnnfiua to be a uniformly smaller and 

 dingier sx^ecies than /'r.s?/rrt, though some of our own northern forms of 

 the latter do not materially differ as regards size. 



The Speyers give the distribiition of fcstira thus : " In most dis- 

 tricts in the north half of our district, less widely in the south. It 

 frequents woods and damp places, the larva feeding specially on 

 Vriiiiula. Everywhere in Central Europe betAveen 57° and -AS*^ N., and 

 from England to the Altai." 



The remark that /i'.sf/*Y< frequents woods and damp places entirely 

 confirms our own experience of the species in this country, coiijlxa 

 being essentially a heath insect, occurring most plentifully in high 

 and exposed situations, thoiigh some of the northern forms of fcstira 

 are found in more or less bleak places. 



I will give one more authority who entirely supports the view 

 sought to be established in this paper, and then pass on to the insects 

 before us. Professor Dr. Heinrich Frey, in JJic Lcpidojitcrcn tier 

 Sc/nniz, published in Leipzig in 18H0, gives, on p. 118, A</roti.s festira 

 and A. nDiflua as separate species. He says of fcstiva that the larva 

 feeds on I'trj-is, I'riiinda and Mfspibis, that the imago is found from 

 the end of May to August, that it is local, and ascends to 5,500 metres. 

 Of ((intlua he says that the larva is found on low plants, such as Silcnc 

 [this I take to mean the moss-campion, *■/:., Siinw acaulis, Linn.] , 

 Plantaiio and Pidi/i/dnuiii liistorta, and that it is found "in den Berner 

 Alpen (Rthb.), Belchen, Engelberg, Eigenthal (Wu.)." 



Before referring in detail to the present exhibit, I append, for the 

 convenience of those interested in the subject, the original description of 

 NocTUA suBRUFA, Haw. (published as a, species), Li'pidojiti'ra Britaiuiira, 

 A. H. Haworth, London, 1803, p. 227 : " N. (The rufous Clay) alis 

 rufis vel rufo-purpureis strigis ordinariis stigmatibusque pallidioribus. 

 Expansio alarum lime. 5lin. Descriptio. — Praecedenti valde afhnis, at 

 alae in mare magis rufae, characteribus onuiibus obscurioribus, stigma 

 reniforme dorso, maculae oblongae fuscae adnatum. Foemina 

 purpurascit, stigmate postico supcrne flavicante. Caetera ut in X. 

 /estiva." 



