ON THE VARIATIOU OF MELTTAEA AUIUNIA. 141 



the species from different standpoints ; we disagree occasionally as to 

 matters of detail. 



The only important matter in which we disagree is as to Birchall's 

 var. hibcrnk-a. I cannot help feeling very strongly that this and Mr, 

 Kane's var. jiraeclara are identical. True, Birchall's de'scription lacks 

 the detail that a few of us give to our descriptions now-a-days when 

 we are doing anything that we think important ; hut I have most 

 carefully compared it with my series, and find that I should attach the 

 name Jdhenuva and praevlara to the same specimens in my long 

 series, and that being so I cannot but think that they are synony- 

 mous. Descriptions of varieties (local races) must be considered 

 " as a whole " rather than in detail. Most of my Irish specimens 

 certainly satisfy all the conditions Birchall lays down, except as regards 

 size and the character of the margin of the hind-wings ; but the 

 former (size) must be neglected entirely, or we should want a new name 

 for every few specimens of M. aurinia, so variable is the species in this 

 respect. Major Robertson has sent me specimens from Swansea, 

 varying from 1^^ to over 2 inches ; but I consider them all Mr. Kane's 

 var. .sii/ui/ria. As for Mr. Kane's quotation {Kntom., xxvi., p. 188) 

 of the female " hind-Avings as in typical forms, but ornamented 

 neither with pale straw-coloured nor fulvous patches," I would point 

 out that this is evidently a printer's blunder, and that something is 

 omitted ; for just before, ]'>irchall says of the central pale straw- 

 coloured fascia, that it "is carried on across the hind- wings." How- 

 ever, his description of the male is applicable enough, and clear 

 enough for all practical purposes. 



This is the only important point in which I disagree with Mr. 

 Kane, and he can readily retort that he knows more about Irish 

 insects than I do, which is perfectly true, and I only state my opinion 

 based on such material as 1 have. 



Roughly, Mr. Kane divides the British forms into three main 

 groups : — (1) With the fulvous patches almost uniform in tint 

 throughout the wing, the darker bases and transverse lines brownish- 

 black =«»r/«{a (the type). (2) The form in which the fulvous be- 

 comes distinctly red (of a somewhat bright tint), the central trans- 

 verse band bright straw-colour, the base, transverse lines and nervures 

 black = var. hUn'ruica (pracrlara, Kane). (8) The fulvous areas, both 

 external and internal to the central band, constricted and suppressed 

 by an increase of black ; the central straw-coloured bands duller ; the 

 black more intense = var. scotica. Mr. Kane also gives intermediate 

 forms with somewhat distinctive characters. 



In Avorking through my British series, I find the latter contains 

 the following forms : — 



(1). An unicolorous fulvous form with the transverse lines some- 

 what obsolete = var. jj/vj(?mrirtZ('.v. The best examples that I have of 

 this form are one bred from a Penarth larva and two captured in 

 Lincolnshire, the latter of large size. 



(2). A fulvous form, the ground colour as in 1, but with well- 

 marked transverse lines = a ur in la. This form appears to be rare. 

 I have a series of males from Bradfield, one or two from SandAvich, 

 and a bred female from Penarth. It only exists as a rare aberration 

 in the tAvo last localities. 



(8). An extreme taAvny form, the ground-colour resembling that of 



