﻿57 
  

  

  Spilosovm 
  urtic(B 
  has 
  proved 
  of 
  less 
  interest 
  to 
  me 
  from 
  a 
  varietal 
  

   standpoint, 
  but 
  has 
  given 
  me 
  more 
  trouble 
  to 
  complete 
  my 
  series. 
  

   I 
  have 
  never 
  had 
  the 
  species 
  in 
  sufficient 
  numbers 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  true 
  

   opinion 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  range 
  of 
  variation, 
  but 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  

   spots 
  are 
  never 
  numerous 
  and 
  are 
  sometimes 
  absent. 
  It 
  has 
  

   occurred 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  male 
  is 
  disposed 
  to 
  show 
  more 
  markings 
  

   than 
  the 
  female. 
  1 
  have 
  never 
  seen 
  a 
  streaked 
  British 
  form 
  such 
  

   as 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  occur 
  on 
  the 
  continent, 
  and 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  name 
  radiata, 
  

   Spul., 
  has 
  been 
  given. 
  A 
  very 
  lightly 
  marked 
  specimen 
  of 
  nien- 
  

   thastri, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  specimen 
  I 
  captured 
  on 
  a 
  fence 
  at 
  Brentwood, 
  

   to 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  previously 
  referred, 
  might 
  easily 
  be 
  mistaken 
  for 
  

   this 
  species, 
  but 
  while 
  ntenthastri 
  is 
  rarely, 
  if 
  ever, 
  without 
  spots 
  on 
  

   the 
  hindwing, 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  spot 
  on 
  a 
  hindwing 
  of 
  HrlU-ic 
  is 
  rare, 
  

   to 
  say 
  the 
  least 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  the 
  antenna 
  of 
  urticcc, 
  which 
  is 
  white 
  

   almost 
  to 
  the 
  tip, 
  seems 
  to 
  distinguish 
  it 
  satisfactorily 
  from 
  

   menthastri. 
  

  

  Spilosoma 
  lubricipeda 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  variable 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  genus. 
  

   It 
  varies 
  from 
  pale 
  buff, 
  with 
  very 
  few 
  black 
  markings, 
  to 
  an 
  almost 
  

   totally 
  black 
  form. 
  The 
  many 
  different 
  forms 
  provide 
  an 
  excellent 
  

   opportunity 
  for 
  the 
  ingenuity 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  desire 
  to 
  render 
  their 
  

   own 
  names 
  immortal 
  by 
  inventing 
  names 
  for 
  intermediate 
  forms. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  our 
  entomologists, 
  such 
  as 
  Porritt, 
  Tugwell, 
  and 
  Harrison, 
  

   worked 
  wonders 
  in 
  breeding 
  this 
  species, 
  and 
  in 
  crossing 
  the 
  forms, 
  

   some 
  twenty 
  years 
  or 
  more 
  ago. 
  The 
  liberality 
  of 
  those 
  gentlemen 
  

   caused 
  many 
  most 
  interesting 
  forms 
  to 
  be 
  common 
  in 
  our 
  cabinets. 
  

  

  In 
  such 
  a 
  case 
  as 
  this 
  nomenclature 
  of 
  aberrations 
  is 
  a 
  difficulty, 
  

   but 
  most 
  of 
  us 
  recognise 
  the 
  barred 
  form, 
  ab. 
  fasciata, 
  Tugw. 
  ; 
  the 
  

   black 
  form 
  with 
  a 
  central 
  yellow 
  patch 
  on 
  forewing, 
  ab. 
  zativia, 
  

   Stoll. 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  black 
  form 
  with 
  only 
  the 
  thorax 
  and 
  nervures 
  

   yellow, 
  ab. 
  descltangei, 
  Dep. 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  sure 
  whether 
  the 
  name 
  

   zathna 
  should 
  not 
  properly 
  be 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  specimens 
  with 
  a 
  

   black 
  fringe, 
  which 
  are 
  rather 
  uncommon, 
  but 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  am 
  show- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  complete 
  row 
  of 
  each 
  sex. 
  If 
  that 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  the 
  somewhat 
  

   similar 
  but 
  yellow 
  fringed 
  form 
  might 
  bear 
  Haworth's 
  name 
  of 
  

   radiata, 
  and 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  room 
  for 
  Tugwell's 
  name 
  of 
  eboraci. 
  I 
  

   must 
  leave 
  such 
  matters 
  to 
  others, 
  who 
  have 
  studied 
  the 
  subject 
  

   more 
  deeply. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  showing 
  a 
  complete 
  drawerfull 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  

   selected 
  from 
  considerable 
  nuinbers, 
  and 
  I 
  would 
  like 
  to 
  call 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  two 
  smoky 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  type, 
  which 
  I 
  purchased 
  from 
  

   South's 
  collection, 
  and 
  to 
  one 
  which 
  1 
  regard 
  as 
  dcac/ian'/ei. 
  I 
  have 
  

   indicated 
  these 
  by 
  pointers. 
  I 
  am 
  hoping 
  to 
  see 
  among 
  the 
  coUec- 
  

  

  