306 THE entomologist's record. 



dinal streaks just within the normal elbowed line ; the body is black. 

 (4) One specimen of a pale slaty-grey ground colour, with normal 

 brown markings, parallel to those first described (1), but with paler 

 ground colour ; body almost black. (5) ()?ii' specimen of the same 

 form, with a clear, but narrow, white costal and inner margin to the 

 fore-wings, and a white inner margin and pure white fringe to the 

 hind-wings ; the body suffused. (6) One specimen of the same form 

 as those first described (1), but with whitish base to fore- and hind- 

 wings ; the body suffused. (7) One specimen with the outer margin of 

 the left fore- and hind-wings dark grey, the right side normal. (8) One 

 specimen with the hind-wings only, pale slaty-grey, and with the 

 centre of the brown anal spot of hind-wings, and the inner marginal 

 blotch of fore-wings, grey. (9) O^c specimen with the fore- and hind- 

 wings with a series of longitudinal grey markings running along the 

 sub-dorsal areas of both wings. (10) One specimen with the discoidal 

 blotch continued as a band across the fore-wings ; the outer (sub- 

 dorsal) band also very strongly marked. (11) One specimen with the 

 two transverse bands mentioned in the description of the last aberra- 

 tion (lOj united into a broad band across the fore-wings. 



The above aberrations are all more or less suffused with slaty- 

 grey, or exhibit an extension of the normal slaty-grey or blue-grey 

 markings. The following individuals, sent by Mr. Dutton, were 

 suffused with dusky ochreous, or dirty crearn-colour. 



(1) ())ie specimen with the ground colour of both fore-wings 

 suffused with smoky cream colour ; the hind-wings normal. (2) Tiro 

 specimens, one with the right, the other with the left, fore-wing simi- 

 larly suffused ; the other three wings, in each case, normal. (8) One 

 specimen with the fore-wings and the right hind-wing suffused at 

 base, the dark-brown spots ill-developed, and the normal brown hue 

 of these spots wanting. (4) One specimen with the left fore-wing 

 dull smoky, the other three wings normal. 



A single specimen presented the normal coloration, but had the 

 dark brown spots and grey shades much reduced below the normal 

 limit. 



Porritt {List of Yorkshire Lepiiloptera, p. 43) writes : " A peculiar 

 lead-coloured form sometimes occurs, and many other beautiful aber- 

 rations have been taken. Edlington Wood is noted for aberrations of 

 this species." At the meeting of the Entom. Soc. of London, on 

 October 6th last, when Mr. Button's specimens were exhibited, he 

 further remarked that melanic aberrations were not unusual, but that 

 it was very exceptional for a large number to occur in any one year, 

 as had been the case during the last summer. 



Mr. Dutton [ante, p. 269) suggests that this unusual appearance of 

 what is usually a rare form of aberration, is probably due to the 

 malnutrition of the larva. This view is strongly supported by the 

 fact, mentioned both by Mr. Dutton and Mr. Hewett, that a more or 

 less large proportion of these forms were crippled, some having quite 

 stumpy wings, others with only two wings moderately developed, and 

 so on. Even the best of the specimens, so far as those exhibited 

 allowed one to judge, had more or less crumpled wings, that had been 

 flattened out by the setting brace. 



One fact was very evident from the specimens examined, viz., that 

 the suffusion was not due to the spread of the normal slaty-grey 



