VARIETIES OF NOCTURE IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 83 



has copied an error from Guenee's great work, which the latter 



author was led into by Curtis. The larva figured along with the 

 imago of salicis in the splendid work of Curtis is the larva of 

 menyanthidis. I have had hundreds of them, but never reared 

 salicis from them. Both myself and my friend Mr. Greening 

 have, however, reared salicis from the larva of rumicis, and are 

 perfectly satisfied that it is nothing more than a dark variety of 

 the latter species." At p. 212, however, Mr. Cooke modified 

 this statement very considerably. He says : — " The statement 

 (' The Substitute,' p. 7) brought me a reply from Mr. J. C. Dale, 

 which induced me to send him my specimens for examination, 

 and it turns out that the salicis of our northern collections is 



not the salicis of Curtis Mr. Dale says with good reason 



that, if salicis is a variety at all, it is a variety of menyanthidis ; 

 that he was with Curtis at the time he found the larvae from 

 which they were bred ; that he also found three larvae, and 

 reared one moth exactly like Curtis's figure of salicis. Cmiis 

 was more fortunate, and bred several, and one menyanthidis 

 among them, which puzzled him. The larvae were found on 

 sallows in the Trosachs, .... proving Guenee to be right in 

 stating that the figure given by Curtis of the larva by the side 

 of the imago is sufficient evidence that this salicis is only a 

 variety of menyanthidis." 



Herr A. Hoffman writes me : — " Rumicis does not vary with 

 us (Germany). AleiiyantJiidis varies greatly in colour, from a 

 greyish white to dark melanic forms which occur on the moors 

 or at the sea-coast of North Germany (probably your salicis, 

 Curt.)." 



After reading the above extracts I think most lepidopterists 

 will agree with me in stating that there seems little doubt that 

 there are two varieties named salicis, one, menyanthidis var. 

 salicis, Curtis, the other, rumicis var. salicis, Sta. and Newman. 

 In this paper I shall therefore treat them separately under their 

 respective species.] 



A. rumicis, L., a. var. salicis, Sta. — Described in Stainton's 

 'Manual,' vol. i. p. 183, as a distinct species. It is undoubtedly 

 a melanic form of rumicis. The anterior wings very much 

 sufi'used with black scales ; the orbicular is distinct, but the 

 rcuiform generally inconspicuous ; there is a pale lunular mark 

 at the base of the third striga, and a row of white dots parallel 



