CALAMIA LUTOSA, ITS VARIATION, HABITS, ETC. ^73 



been grievously gnawed and mutilated by insect enemies, for there in 

 numbers sat ('. lutosa. 



There were no pairs, which is curious, and very unlike the habits of 

 Wainscots in general. I cannot believe that they luid already paired 

 and separated since their flight, for it was not late in the evening, and 

 we were home again by 8.30 p.m. But, however that may be, there 

 sat the moths, both sexes, silent and solitary, generally on the under- 

 side of a drooping leaf, and sometimes upon a stem. Few moved when 

 discovered, in fact as a rule they sat perfectly quiet, and dropped 

 (shannning death) into the box placed beneath them ; but Ave discovered 

 this, that if the collector waved, delayed or moved the lamp, his chance 

 was gone — down went ('. lutom into the tangled grass, whence it 

 might perhaps be recovered torn and Avorthless. 1 saAv a striking 

 proof of this Avide aAvakedness of the moth : one of my lads got some- 

 Avhat tired, and Avalked ahead flashing the light from his lamp 

 upon the reeds. I did not notice this, but remarked that 

 all at once I ceased to find moths, and discovered that his 

 light had disturbed them, and ere I reached the spot, doAvn 

 they AA'ent like lumps of lead into the grass. One other evening I had 

 Avith them, this time the promised turn of my previously disappointed 

 friend. We found numbers in the same Avay, and ahvays Avhere the 

 reeds Avere most stunted, but curiously enough Ave found none on that 

 part of the ditch Avhich I had cleared a few days before. We took 

 altogether some 108 specimens, some Avere too bad eA^en to kill, 

 certainly to set ; but of the 91 Avhich I have examined I find that the 

 sexes are fairly balanced, consisting of 44 males and 47 females. I 

 imagine from this fact that it was not really late for the insect, other- 

 wise the females avouM have more distinctly outnumbered the males. 



On looking over the specimens I could not fail to be struck Avith 

 the accuracy of the collation of the forms of variation tabulated by 

 Mr. Tutt in his British NncUiae and their Varieties. This is not only 

 e\'idence of the care Avith Avhich the book Avas compiled, but also of 

 the similarity of the forms Avhich I have found Avith those Avhich he had 

 come across. Mr. Tutt has kindly promised to bring his specimens for 

 comparison this evening, and Ave have, therefore, the advantage of 

 seeing specimens from dift'erent localities, and perhaps of detecting 

 interesting differences. He Avill not, I am sure, object to my giving a 

 short digest of his analysis of the species, Avhich I haA-e roughly 

 condensed for my oAvn use : — 



Type. — C. lutosii, Hb. — Pale-ochreous — whitish nervures. H.w. grey, dusky 

 nervures. No spots or shades. ... ... (Hare). 



ab. pilicuDiis, Haw.^Pale-ochreous — whitish nervures. P'.w., a com- 

 plete transverse row of spots. ... (Not rare). 



ab. crassicuniis, Haw. — Pale-ochreous — like above — plus strongly de- 

 veloped longitudinal fuscous shades. 



ab. ru fence IIS, Tutt.— Eeddish-ochreous — without shades or spots. 



(Hare). 



ab. eiiiniae, St. — Eeddish-ochreous — with transverse row of spots. 



ab. ni/esceiis-siijt'usa, Tutt. — Eeddish-ochreous — with both spots and 

 shades. (Not rare). 



It Avill be noticed that the colour is the chief point of dift'erence, 

 and that of each colour there are three recorded forms. Of the 91 

 specimens Avhich I have examined, and to Avliich these notes refer, I 

 find that the variation, arranged according to this table, is as folloAvs : — 



