1P06. 



245 



Cytisus {spinosiis ?) , a Gnaphalium-Wke plant, and a common thistle, 

 as well as on a Scilla, and two larvae even on Euphorbia. Though the 

 predaceous fly \iirvii Xanthandriis comfus existed, it did not attack the 

 larva of //. hyercma, but, on the other hand, they were attacked by a 

 Tachinid and by at least three Hymenopterous parasites. T found 

 also a few larv^ at Capri with habits very similar to those at 

 Taormina. 



The Capri larva) all produced very pale moths with nearly white 

 hind-wings (var. pallens, plate 3, figs. 1 and 2). 



The Taormina imagines were large, very nearly the same as the 

 type from Hyeres, but, in the mass, rather lighter in tint and with a 

 few specimens approaching yar. pallens (plate 3, figs. 3 and 4). They 

 afforded a good many varieties, not only in extension of the discal 

 spot, var. alpha, Mill, (plate 3, fig. 9), but also in dark shading 

 scattered in small patches over the wings (ab. nigropunctata, pi. 3, 

 figs. 7, 8, 10). None of these in any way suggested the var. 

 marginata, Wlsm., of which no trace occurred in any specimen. As 

 all these emerged at Reigate, they afforded a certain presumption 

 that rearing in England could not be the cause of Hyeres specimens 

 showing the marginata form. However, to make more certain on this 

 point Mr. Powell sent me ten cocoons from Hyeres, keeping ten him- 

 self. Unfortunately the escape of his larvae prevented the number 

 being larger. The result, however, was that there happened to be 

 four specimens of var. marginata amongst the ten kept at Hyeres, 

 whilst the ten sent to Reigate only afforded two examples of the 



dark form. 



The Sicilian specimens were, therefore, very near to R. hyerana, 

 as it was found by Milliere fifty years ago at Hyeres. The effect of 

 climate would seem to be eliminated by the circumstance that the 

 Capri race is so much lighter than the Sicilian, though so much 

 further north, and therefore nearer Hyeres conditions. 

 j The specimens raised from eggs obtained from a pairing of a 



'' dark and light Hyeres moth were more intermediate between marginata 

 and hyerana than the first generation, and led me to note that 

 marginata is especially characterised by a dark line down the fringe 

 of the anterior wing, and that this line occurs in specimens I had 

 accepted as being hyerana simply. These are then in reality inter- 

 mediates. They formed thirty per cent, of pale Hyeres specimens 

 (1904), twelve per cent, of those of 1905, and twenty-eight per cent, 

 of those bred from eggs. Four of the best streaked of these are 

 figured (pi. 3, figs. 11, 12, 13, 14). 



