28 i'^"'-''' 



Readily distinguiislied from the allied species by its pointed wings 

 and distinct, oblique, pointed dorsal blotch, in which respects it is 

 closely allied to acumlnatana. 



Five specimens have been kindly entrusted to me by the Eev. H. 

 Bui'ney and by Mr. J. Sang, who takes them on grassy slopes near 

 Darlington. Also taken on a canal bank near Saltwick, Lancashire, 

 by Mr. Hodgkinson. 



D. acuminatana, Zeller. — Eeadily distinguished from the last- 

 named species by its purplish tinge, arising from the numei'ous jjurple 

 scales arranged in lines over the whole of the fore-wings, and from 

 the other allied species also by its acutely jtointed fore-wings and 

 oblique dorsal blotch. In continental examples the ground colour is 

 sometimes very pale, throwing up the purple scales to great advantage. 



D. consortiimi, tSteph., AVilk. — AVilkins^on's description of this 

 species is excellent. It may be distinguished from the allied species 

 by its small size, very few yellow scales on a dark brown ground, nu- 

 merous black dashes on the fore-wings, especially along the fold, and 

 its very narrow, divided, and sinuatcd dorsal blotch, which is produced 

 towards the apex of the wing. Costal streaks bright, short, and nearly 

 perpendicular to the margin. 



Singularly enough, this species occurs of two different sizes, one 

 nearly as large as the male of D. acuminatana, the other much smaller ; 

 and so constant are they as to suggest the idea of distinct species, but 

 a careful examination under a good magnifier of males of both forms, 

 seems to detect no other distinctions. 



A small continental species, having the dorsal blotch whitish, has 

 been supposed to be identical with this, but I think it not distinct 

 from agilana, Tengstrom, Heinemann. It seems to me in form more 

 closely allied to sequana than to consortann. I have not as yet seen a 

 British specimen anything like it. 



Endujyisa safunianr/, Gn., A\"ilk. — AVilkinson separates this and 

 the next species from the D/crorai/ij^J/cc on account of the absence of 

 the costal fold in the male. In other respects they are extremely 

 closely allied. This natne has been usually applied in cabinets, in this 

 country, to the next species, j;Z?fw?;r/;?rf (this being called itlicana), hut 

 Gruenee's and Wilkinson's descriptions, as well as Guenoe's labelled 

 types, kindly lent me by Mr. Doubleday, prove this to be an error. 

 They are exceedingly difficult to separate, unless very fine, and this 

 species in particular is most difficult to characterize. Its ground 



