I'jlO.] Ill 



" Violet-ashy, with the apex of the fore- wing strongly produced, hind- 

 wings brownish ashy." 



" Beautiful light violet-grey, with some lead-lustre, the apex of the fore- 

 wing is greatly produced and rounded, the oblique brown fascia forms a pointed 

 tooth projecting towards the apex, before which stand foiu' very distinct double 

 hooks on the costal margin." 



" In Saxony, Bohemia, Bavaria, in leafy woods ; at Eatisbon, amongst birch, 

 in few localities, sociable. May." 



The luost uoticeable characters .shown by the fore-wing of this 

 handsome insect, in its ordinary forms, are a hirg-e dark basal patch, 

 a bright or darlc brown oblique fascia arising about the centre of the 

 cosfa and reaching the dorsum near the tornus, and a markedly 

 produced and rounded apex, which is occupied by a bright brown, or 

 brown, circular spot. The outer margin of the fascia varies greatly 

 in shape, and by no means always forms the pointed tooth mentioned 

 by Herrich-Schaft'er. In some individuals this only appears as either 

 an angulated or a rounded projection, whilst occasionally the margin 

 shows no projection at all. The basal patch also throws out a median 

 posterior projection, which, however, varies greatly both in size and 

 shape ; it is acutely angulated in some examples, whilst in others it is 

 well rounded. The males are appreciably larger than the opposite 

 sex, as is proved by the following measurements taken from Aviemore 

 specimens in my collection: — alar, exp., of largest ^ = 19-5 mm., of 

 smallest ^ = \7 mm. ; of largest $ = 17 mm., of smallest ? = 

 15 mm. The females, except for their smaller size, and apparently 

 rather narrower wings, do not differ materially from the males in 

 appearance, though their groimd-colour seems to be a trifle lighter. 

 Herrich-Schafl'er's published entry of " 8—8 L.," as representing the 

 alar, exp., must be due to a printer's error, probably for " 6 — 8 L." 

 (i. e.^ 6—8 Paris lines = 14—18 mm.), as Mr. J. Hartley Diu-rant 

 (in Hit.) suggests. 



As regards British specimens only, a comparison of my series of 

 E. ericetatm, H.-S., with those of its ■aXMe'^ fraciifasoiana and quadrana 

 shows that the first-named is so much larger and lighter than 

 fracUfasciana that there is no chance of any confusion between them, 

 and that it is also decidedly larger than quadrana, small ? $ of the 

 former having about the same expanse of wing as good- sized J (5* of 

 the latter. The dark transverse markings are, in ericetana, very 

 conspicuous throughout in botli sexes, whereas, in quadrana, they tend 

 to become faint or obsolete in the upper half of the fore-mng, 

 particidarly in the case of the males. A fiu-ther useful distinction 



