202 The entomologist's record. 



(IG) hiiveca very conspicuous blotch of pure white scales on the under- 

 side of the club, below its reddish-brown tip, Avhich in the J 's (17) 

 is reduced to a feAV white scales, varying a little in number, but never 

 forming a conspicuous blotch. The distinction is readily seen with a 

 pocket lens, or even by the naked eye, on close inspection. Will 

 observers note if their series confirm this?— W. S. Riding, M.D., 

 F.E.S., Buckerell Lodge, E. Devon. November, 1895. 



V.\RiETiES OF Hybernia defoliaria. — With reference to Mr. 

 Walker's query {ante, p. 143) as to the distribution of the two forms 

 of H. defuliaria, I have bred that species freely from the Wimbledon 

 district and also from Wanstead, and have found both forms in each 

 place pretty equally distributed, that is to say, the banded and the more 

 or less unicolorous form with line through the wing ; the entirely 

 unicolorous form without any line I have always looked upon as far 

 less common than the banded. It is a species that evidently follows 

 heredity to a great extent, as, by selecting a remarkably fine banded 

 male, I succeeded in rearing some grand forms, and in the second 

 and third year they all came true. After that the race was too weak 

 to continue.— A. W. Mera, 79, Capel Road, Forest Gate. Januani 

 Sid, 1896. 



I have bred H. defoliaria from three localities, viz., Durham, 

 Chester and Scarborough. The banded form only from Durham, 

 both the other forms from Chester and Scarborough, with a rather 

 larger proportion of unicolorous forms from Scarborough than from 

 Chester. — T. Maddison, South Bailey, Durham. December 21tJi, 1895. 



Tavo forms of H. defoliaria occur near Emsworth, the dark brown 

 unicolorous form and the pale banded form. — W. M. Christy, F.E.S., 

 Watergate, Emsworth. January 8tli, 1896. 



Polymorphism of Hybernia defoliaria. — I took here last week 

 thirteen H. defoliaria, no two of which were alike, the variation 

 extending from a light ochreous colour to nearly black, one specimen 

 being so dark as not to show any markings on either the upper or 

 under wings.- — E. R. Bush, 71, Strathmore Street, Bridgend, Perth. 

 December 1th, 1895. 



AciDALIA AVERSATA AND ITS ABERRATION SPOLIATA. 1 have alwayS 



been puzzled about A. aversata and its aberration. Mr. Maddison has 

 been kind enough to answer a query as to their differentiation, telling me 

 that the banded form is the type, so thatvar. spoIiatawiW be the ordinary 

 form. Our two standard books have helped to propagate an error. 

 Stainton distinctly states that the banded form is a "variety," and 

 Newman goes so far as to give it a name, and calls it " var. remufata," 

 and the unicolorous insect with lines he writes of as " var, (sic) 

 aversata.'" If we take the banded form as type {A. aversata), we can 

 understand the meaning (otherwise inexplicable) of ab. " spoliata," 

 i.e., "robbed of" or "despoiled of" the band. I am informed by 

 Mr. Tutt that Staudinger {Gat., p. 150) writes of aversata, Linn. 

 (= lividata, Gn.), as follows : " alsB, fascia media lata nigricante," 

 whilst ab. spoliata, Stdgr. (= aversata, Tr.) is diagnosed {I. c.) as 

 " forma vulgaris, non fasciata." — W. S. Riding, M.D., F.E.S., 

 Buckerell Lodge, E. Devon. December, 1895. 



:]§>RACTICAL HINTS. 



LTnikormitt in the sizes ok I'iNS USED. — I am glad to see a discus- 

 sion raised as to setting ; very unfortunately, scarcely any two men 



