MELANIPPE FLUCTUATA. 133 



acHfaiii/ulafa is the dominant form (ride Schoyen, Air/iir for Matlic- 

 matih; etc., v., 194) ; Howth, Ireland [Kntom., -xxv., 187) ; and pro- 

 bably elsewhere in the British Islands, as I recently saw, at the 

 Entomological Society of London, a figure from the collection of 

 Mr. S. J. Capper. 



Var. xi/riarata, n. var. — The forms announced in Staudinger's 

 trade lists as " var. e Sijria," and coming from Palestine, etc., do not 

 seem to fit with the last-named variety, as the central fascia is 

 frequently abbreviated, the outer area of the wings less marked, the 

 basal patch not white, etc. As I have only seen four specimens 

 from the region, it is very rash to attempt to diagnose it ; but if it 

 proves to be a marked local race at all, it will be distinguished 

 through tlie weakly-marked ground-colour and whitish hind-Avings, 

 perhaps also by the lack of some of the abdominal spots. 



Var. iiluata, Gn., x., 403. — This is the North American repre- 

 sentative oi M.jiuctKata, and is said to be smaller (on the average), the 

 wings blunter, more chalky-white, the central fascia more dentated 

 at its edges, etc. It seems to be variable also in America, and the 

 Labrador forms probably come rather near some of the Norwegian. 



The ab. americana of Gumppenberg (Si/stmna Geowi'trarnin, Theil 

 iii., p. 286) [1890]; Packard (Monoi/raph, pi. viii., fig. 72), has the 

 basal and median patches distinctly rnldisji -hvovfn. It is not unlikely 

 that this may also occur casually in the Old World. 



On a supposed new species of Leucania. 



By J. W. TUTT, F.E.S. 



In the KntdmuUxjisfs Mdntldii Mju/azinc, vol. xxxii., p. 100, Mr. 

 C. G. P>arrett describes a Leucaniid, captured upon the Essex coast, in 

 July 1895, by Mr. Mathew. The specimens described consist of a 

 male and three females, and Mr. Barrett considers that they belong to 

 a hitherto undescribed species. 



His description is very minute. Roughly, the insect may be said to 

 differ from L. jndlens in the presence of a transverse series of black dots 

 on the fore-wings in the position of the elbowed line. IMr. Barrett 

 writes of the fore-wings as being " rather broader than in L. jiallcns, 

 and more pointed at the apex, shaped, in fact, as in L. strawiiica ; costal 

 and dorsal margins nearly straight ; apex acute ; hind margin below it 

 oblique and faintly hollowed, but rounded oft' at anal angle ; 

 entire surface of a smooth soft honey-colour, or colour of the honey- 

 comb (a shade of buft' difficult to describe) ; having the nervures 

 faintly perceptible, but not paler in colour. At the apex of the discal 

 cell is a round black dot as in L. jiallnts, and two more lie in the 

 position of the ordinary ' second line ' or ' elbowed line,' which is 

 further indicated by faint blackish dashes, more particularly towards 

 the costa, where this faint line is decidedly curved back. Hind-wings 

 rounded, white at the base and apex, but with the middle area tinged 

 with smoky-grey and reddish ; all the nervures broadly dusted with 

 blackish ; cilia white. Under-side of the fore-wings pale buft", 

 tinged in the middle with brownish ; before the apex is a black spot 

 on the costa, indicating a faint slender transverse line ; hind-wings 

 yellowish-white dusted with black, and having a slender transverse 



