1886.] 35 



isolated examples. Presuming the abdominal markings are present in all of these 

 (they are so in those in which the abdomen is not discoloured), they are peculiar, 

 inasmucli as (with the greatest general resemblance to the type of prasina) they 

 agree in having the basal portion of the sub-costa continuously hlack for a short 

 space in both pairs of wings. But Albarda forwarded other examples (from Burg- 

 dorf) as probably ^jrasjwa, in which this condition existed only in the anterior-wings. 



Ch. aspeesa, Wesmael (Bull. Acad. Brux., 184-0,210). — The conditions noticed 

 yxnAev prasina and ahdomiiialis appear to be comparatively rare (not yet noticed in 

 Britain). But excluding these (and veiitralis) there exists a somewhat protean 

 mass of conditions ordinarily grouped under " aspersa." The size varies enor- 

 mously ; so also do the thoracic spots ; so also does the amount of black coloration 

 in the neuration, but, as a rule, the transverse nervules are only black at either end ; 

 the basal joint of the antennte has sometimes a black point (= var. 6 of Schneider); 

 and certainly the dorsum of the abdomen is often spotted (but the spots, if I mis- 

 take not, are in this case smaller and more numerous than as noticed for ahdo- 

 minalis, &c., and do not appear in the very numerous dry examples before me). 

 Allowing for all variations, it is the most common and dominant condition. 



Ch. Zelleei, Schneider (Monogr., 114, pi. 38, 1851). — The main distinguishing 

 characteristic of this is the presence of two black points on the posterior portion of 

 the top of the head (" in vert ice duobus punctis," Schneider). The other characters 

 given by Schneider, such as the dark line on the outside of the basal joint of 

 the antennae, &c., are certainly variable. It is probably mainly (but not entirely) a 

 meridional condition. Zeller captured it in Sicily, and I have examples from him. 

 I have stated that the two black vertical points sometimes exist in ventralis. Al- 

 barda tells me that in examples of Zelleri (from Hyeres) there are faint indications 

 of the dark points above the coxse on the mesosternum noticed XraAer ventralis ; these 

 do not exist in any one of the five examples in my collection. But I have an 

 Italian specimen forwarded by Prof. Costa as a type of his Hemerobius Rambiirii 

 (altliougli it is his H. neglectus that should have the two spots on the top of the head, 

 according to his description), which most distinctly shows the abdominal spots 

 as in abdominalis (these are not visible on my other examples), and Albarda says 

 they are equally present in his examples from Hyeres. 



The foregoing is an attempt to elucidate a critical question as to 

 how far variation may have been made subservient to specific differ- 

 entiation, and, if I mistake not, it might be extended to double the 

 length here given. Possibly my ideas may eventually prove to be in 

 part erroneous by a careful examination of structural sexual characters 

 in living specimens (I fail to detect such in dry individuals). More- 

 over, there remains the test of breeding from eggs. The larva would 

 appear to differ from others of the genus by its shorter and broader 

 form, and its habit (Brauer) of covering itself with the skins of the 

 Aphides, &c , it has sucked ; a habit common in Hemerobius, but 

 possibly not otherwise noticed for Chrysopa. 



