NONAGRIA EDELSTENI A NOCTUID NEW TO THE BRITISH LIST. 289 



This description can leave no manner of doubt that this belongs to 

 neurica, Hb., 381, and arnndineta, Schmidt. He then goes on to say 

 [op. cit.) : 



Ochsenheimer has referred to Hilbner's neurica on p. 82 of his Entwiirf, and 

 understood by it the reed-coloured form without marks on the underside, of which 

 there were a few examples in Mazzola's and his own collections under this name, 

 and which came from the Rhine district. 



Now one might suppose from this that Ochsenheimer had written 

 somewhere the suggestion in this paragraph, but, on referring to the 

 Entu-tirf, p. 82, one finds that all Ochsenheimer chronicles is as follows: 



Genus Ixviii : Nonagria. 



Ulvae, O. nov. sp. 



Fulva, Hubn. mas {Extrema, Hiibn., foem.). 



Phragmitidis, Hiibn. {Seniicans, Esp.). 



Neurica, Hiibn. 



Sparganii, Hiibn., Esp., Borkh. 

 The observation, therefore, is merely Treitschke's, and, being made 

 some nine years after Ochsenheimer's death, is a mere expression of 

 opinion of the latter's view of the insects being dealt with at the time, 

 based on a conversation, specimens exchanged, specimens in a collection, 

 or something similar, and Treitschke may, or may not, be referring to 

 our edeUteni, as he mentions none of the characters relied on by Schmidt 

 later, except " the unspotted underside," which, unfortunately, can 

 never be taken into account in considering Hiibner's figure as it does 

 not show it, and which, at any rate, whatever its value, is stultified as 

 an opinion of Treitschke's, by the latter's diagnosis of neurica {supra), 

 and further description [infra) which clearly refer to arnndineta, 

 Schmidt. Treitschke (op. cit.) then goes on to say — • 



Later, we received from thence some very much darker moths, marked on the 

 underside, under the name N. dissoliita. They agreed exactly with Hiibner's figs. 

 659-661. It therefore seemed certain that Hiibner had repeated the name neurica 

 by mistake, whereas dissoluta, should have been given instead. 



This is the first reference to dissoluta, and clearly refers wholly and 

 solely to the dark aberrations of A'', neurica, Hb., figs. 659-661, and has 

 nothing to do with the newly-named species. Continuing, he notes 

 (op. cit.) — 



Further consignments have, since then, conclusively proved that Hiibner was 

 right to call all the fo'-ms neurica, whether marked above, dark or light, and 

 underneath with or without black markings ; all are connected by the slightest 

 gradations, and, furthermore, it confirmed what had already been said about the 

 variability of this plain-looking creature. Neurica varies in tone from reed- 

 coloured to the deepest yellowish dark-brown, as do also 2^ aluclicol'i (geininipuncta), 

 typhae, and others. The head and ihorax are coloured like the forewings, the 

 abdomen is lighter, inclining towards grey, that of the cT especially long and 

 slender, with yellowish-brown anal tuft. The antennre are bright yellow, fine, 

 serrate in the i . Legs brown-yellow. The forewings are short, broad, pointed at 

 the apex. They vary as mentioned, so much so that the intermediate form 

 connecting the two varieties has lighter and darker parts. On all which are not 

 quite without marks, the broad outer margin is the lightest, and without the 

 black specks which irregularly cover the other parts. The median vein is white 

 longitudinally, bordered with black. Beyond the middle of the wing is a black dot 

 with white bordering which is sometimes formed like a figure 3, very rarely with no 

 margin. Before the outer margin a more or less defined double row of dots crosses 

 the vein ; there are two dots next to the inner margin, and there is a row of black 

 and white streaks in the other part of the shaded band where the wings usually 

 become darkest as far as the fringes. These are bordered with clear black dots, 

 otherwise lighter than the ground colour and simple. The hindwings are yellowish- 

 white towards the base, more or less dusted with grey posteriorly, with the lunules 



