VARIETIES OP NOCTD^ IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 101 



(Newman's) description is almost convincing that the specimen he 

 described most probably did not belong to this species. Hubner's 

 fig. 363 is of a bright sulphur-yellow ground colour, with grey 

 nervures, the central area of the wing much suffused with dark 

 grey scales ; the orbicular and reniform, of a very pale sulphur, 

 stand out distinctly in the darker central area ; the costa has a 

 broad pale sulphur streak, the inner margin is also clear ; a 

 pale sulphur wedge-shaped mark extends longitudinally from 

 the outer edge of the reniform to the hind margin, at the point 

 where it meets the hind margin is a small grey blotch. Posterior 

 wings pale sulphur, without any markings. 



Var. myodea, Ebr. — Mr. Dobree informs me that the data for 

 considering this a variety of musculosa rests upon a single 

 imperfect specimen captured in Andalusia. 



Leucania, Och., conigera, F. 



This species varies very much in ground colour from a bright 

 ferruginous-red with a yellow-orange tint to a deep dusky red 

 much sprinkled with black scales. The continental forms appear 

 to closely resemble our brighter specimens, but I have seen none 

 approaching the more melanic forms which we occasionally 

 obtain in England, and which are very frequent on the west 

 coast of Ireland. The diagnosis of Fabricius, taken from 

 Borkhaiisen, is : " Cristata, alis deflexis flavescentibus, strigis 

 duabus, fuscis punctoque medio albo trigono." Hiibner's figure 

 (222) is a good one of the typical insect as far as the upper 

 wings are concerned, but the posterior wings are coloured bluish, 

 and have a dark margin. 



a. var. suffma, mihi. — The ground colour of the anterior 

 wings of a dusky ferruginous-red, without any trace of the 

 brighter yellowish ground colour of the type, the whole being 

 much suffused with darker scales ; the markings exactly like 

 those of the type, but of a deeper colour and more distinct, 

 especially the stigmata ; a very dark shade surrounds the reni- 

 form, extending to the orbicular ; the costa shaded with dark 

 scales, the wing-rays also dark. The hind wings of a very dark 

 smoky grey colour in both sexes, bearing more or less traces of a 

 still darker transverse line. I have this melanic form only from 

 Morpeth and Sligo. My conigera from Dundee are as bright as 

 the specimens captured in Chattenden, Strood, Deal, and other 



