VARIETIES OF NOCTUJE IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 158 



it, " Larger, of a different colour and shape, at the extremity 

 of the discoidal cell a large black dot, which is wanting in 

 imdorinaJ" This black dot is, however, nearly always present 

 in pudorhia ; the females are as a rule greyer than the males 

 (Mr. Farren has sent me some almost as grey as Hiibner's type- 

 figure) ; and Mr. Dobree writes me that *' impudens from various 

 parts of France and Germany do not differ from English 

 specimens." In this species there is great variation ; some 

 specimens are grey (as in the type), some are bright rosy, some 

 are almost unicolorous ochreous; whilst others have the dark 

 shades between the nervures developed to such an extent as 

 to form bright and strongly-marked blackish stripes. 



a. Yar.pudorina, Hb. — Hiibner's fig. 401 — ochreous, sprinkled 

 with reddish — represents our usual form of the male. It has 

 been treated as distinct by Guenee and all our later British 

 authors. The greater number of specimens from Cambridge, 

 the New Forest, and other British localities are of this form, 

 the very grey form being rare. 



[3. var. striata, Dobree, in litt. — " The colour of the anterior 

 wings is a very glossy wainscot-brown rather than ochreous, 

 coarsely powdered with black, the wing-ra3'S and the shading, 

 which is faintly perceptible in English specimens, showing out 

 clearly in very dark grey. In size there is no difference. This 

 is a handsome variety from the Amur district, with the colour 

 and markings much intensified." I have never seen this variety, 

 and have to thank Mr. Dobree, who has specimens in his 

 collection, for the above information. I have, however, a 

 specimen lent me by Mr. W. Farren, of Cambridge, with all the 

 spaces between the nervures as thickly powdered with black 

 scales as possible, the wing-rays being dark grey. I should 

 think this specimen is almost exactly like the Amur specimens. 



7. var. rufescens, mihi. — Ground colour of the anterior wings 

 entirely bright rosy red, no trace of ochreous, with very pale 

 grey wing-rays ; the wings only very slightly suffused with black 

 scales, excex^t just above the median nervure, where they form a 

 decidedly blackish longitudinal streak ; a small but very distinct 

 black spot at the end of the discoidal cell. Hind wings pale 

 grey, with red fringes. I have again to thank Mr. Farren for 

 the loan of the type of this variety, which is much more extreme 

 than any I had previously seen. 



