GEOGRAPHICAL AND SEASONAL VARIATION OF HEODRS PHL.^'.AS. 167 



forewings, which is of an ochreous tint in the more typical specimens, 

 is in this quite pale ; this variation is particularly noticeable in 

 northern specimens and is moderately well exhibited in pi. viii., fig. 1. 

 The object of this note, however, is to call attention to a very marked 

 pale aberration which I believe to be quite unique, and which is repre- 

 sented in pi. viii., fig. 2. This specimen I captured myself at sugar 

 on September 13th, 1902, at Torcross, in South Devon, 



It is, however, so unusual and striking a form that I think a special 

 description should be made of it and a name given to it. I propose, 

 therefore, to call it : — 



Ab. albesceiiii, n.ab. — The Lead and thorax of an exceedingly pale whitish- 

 grey tint, the abdomen even more white, so that, roughly, the thorax follows 

 the forewings and the abdomen the hindwings, in tint. The ground colour 

 of the forewings appears to be of a pale whitish-grey tinged with pale rufous or 

 reddish-brown, the usual pale areas in the typical form, ri:., the basal line, and 

 patch at base thereof, the pale patch below the orbicular, the reniform stigma, and 

 the outer transverse band being of the paler tint exhibited by the ground colour ; 

 the fringes of the same pale tint as the ground colour. The hindwings are pure 

 white, slightly iridescent as in the type, with the outer marginal edge and the 

 nei'vures (especially towards the outer edge of the wing) finely outlined in dark 

 grey. The specimen is a tT . 



I have never seen such a pale specimen as this before. So marked 

 is the failure of the normal dark pigment that we could call it quite 

 albescent, yet there is no sign of disease about it, the specimen being, 

 in every respect, quite perfect. If a similar aberration exists in any 

 collection I should be very glad to hear of it. The other two speci- 

 mens, on pi. viii, are only added for comparison. They are females, 

 captured at the same time and in the same place. 



Notes on the Geographical and Seasonal Variation of Heodes 

 phlaeas in Western Europe. 



By T. A. CHAP]\IAN, M.D., F.Z.S., F.E.S. 



The fact that I reared an interesting, if small, brood of Heodes 

 phlaeas this autumn, from eggs laid by a $ taken at Reigate, led me 

 to compare the same with various other specimens from different 

 localities, and to formulate some general conclusions on the variation 

 of the species. The variation of size, form, and colour, may be briefly 

 considered as follows: — 



Size, — This does not seem to depend on place or season, but on 

 the period spent in the larval state, though there is much variation in 

 any one locality, as temporary strains that are hereditary. There is 

 thus some tendency for the more northern specimens to be the larger, 

 the Lapland specimens shown being amongst the largest. These are 

 also the only certainly smgle-brooded specimens shown. The species 

 is, however, usually single-brooded in Scotland, but I happen to have 

 no Scotch specimens in the exhibit. The uniformly most small 

 specimens shown are those bred this autumn at Reigate. These were 

 reared at a temperature not less than Ho'^'F. throughout. They had 

 plenty of food of good quality, and their rapacity and continuous feed- 

 ing struck me very much, as well as the very few days they took to 

 feed up. Their small size is due, therefore, to rapidity of growth, and 

 not in any way to starvation, development outstripping the possibili- 

 ties of the mere mechanics of eating. Nevertheless, it seems very 



* Notes on exhibit made at meeting of the Sooth London Entomological and 

 Natural History Society. 



