MELAnIpPE FLUCTUAtA. 163 



y of Haworth, but the very distinct ab. putrirfaria, H.-S., should be 

 separated, even though that has also a complete central band. It is 

 curious that there seems no older available name than the incanata of 

 Renter. If Fourcroy's alahastrlna {Ent. L'aiis., p. 284 [1785] ) were, 

 as assumed by some of the older authors, really this species, it would 

 no doubt represent the form in question ; but it seems much more 

 likely to belong to one of the sociata group. From circumstantial 

 evidence, it is a moral certainty that Stephens' MSS. name intcurata 

 {Br. Mils. Cat., p. 167 [1856] ) belonged to the form, but no description 

 was given, and it therefore sinks. As Mr. Tutt's new book (British 

 Moths, 1896) will certainly fall into other hands than those of the 

 beginners, for whom it is primarily intended, it is worth while to 

 add /V/s("/rtto, Tutt (I.e., p. 275). as a synonym. These banded forms 

 probably turn up occasionally, wherever the species occurs. 



Sub-forms: — d. " Obscurior, al. ant. canescentibus " = ab. 

 incanata, Renter, ? = var. /? of Haworth. 



e. " Fascia media completa, sed insolida, sive cinerea " = var. y 

 of Haworth = ab. iiisolida, mihi. — Mr. R. Adkin has kindly shown me an 

 aberration in his collection (from Lewisham), which I assume to be 

 this form of Haworth's. 



Note. — If irhitc forms with a complete fascia exist, otherwise than 

 in the forms belonging to ab. ptitridaria, or var. acutant/idata, yet 

 another name will be required here, as both the foregoing have the 

 ground-colour somewhat darkened. A banded figure of Herrich- 

 Schaeffer's (fig. 335, corollaria), which Staudinger thinks may be an 

 ahevvation oiJluctuata,.hsbS not yet been definitely determined: it is 

 generally referred to unirata, Gn. 



3. Ab. putridaria, H.-S., 535 {nee. 536) ; aeutawjulata J (Rom., 

 Mem. sur Lep., iii., p. 2). — Ground-colour white or pale, basal patch 

 only darkened at its outer edge, central fascia with a patch of the pale 

 ground-colour in the middle of its costal portion. I know of no sub- 

 forms, and, therefore, indicate this as /" — ab.7)H^ri'fflr/rt, H.-S., 535(1847). 



4. Ab. NEAPOLiSATA,Mill., Ann. Soc. Ent. Er. (6), vii., p. 218, PL v., 

 fig. 7 (1887) ; ? Ie<m., iii., p. 267 (1872).— Ground-colour strongly 

 darkened. 



Sub-forms : — //. Tolerably uniform dark grey or brown-grey == ab. 

 ncapolixata, Mill. ? = var. S, Haw. = var. B, Gn. 



h. The darkening produced by numerous tolerably distinct dark 

 waved lines on the paler ground = ab. nndidata, n. ab. = var. II., 

 Snellen. 



i. Very dark, almost black = ab. (? var.) thnles, n. ab. — This is the 

 extreme Shetland from, as described and figured in Entom., xiii., 291, 

 PI. iv., fig. 6. 



Note. — Examples combining the characteristics of the aberrations 

 incanata and neapoUmta (f..'/.,Dup., 189.4), had best be described simply 

 by compounding the names. I am already in danger of being accused 

 of over-elaborating the varietal nomenclature. 



5. Ab. costovata, Haw., Lep. Br., ii., p. 334 (1810). — Central fascia 

 reduced in width. This is equivalent to Guenee's var. C. 



Sub-forms: — ;/. "Abbreviated central fascia, small and sub-oval" 

 — ab. costovata, Stph., III. Hamt., iii., 220 (1829) ; Haw., Lep. Br., 

 pro parte = H.-S., 294. 



k. ( ? praec. eadem). " Wings more pointed, strong silky gloss, only 



