172 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



that the study of the type-species of these different forms, is very 

 necessary to enable us to get any knowledge of what is really 

 meant by these species, or to find how far our ideas agree with 

 or differ from the intentions of those lepidopterists who named 

 these species. 



In the following remarks I have entirely neglected the con- 

 sideration of A. nigricans, because, in all its varietal forms there 

 is no doubt about the species, and even in its most extreme 

 varieties it is not likely to be mistaken for anything else. I will 

 simply add that the dark Scotch form is the Linnean type (its 

 name suggests it) ; the Southern specimens are a mixture of var. 

 fumosa (dark with a yellow spot), ruris (the red form), obeliscata 

 (with a dark rectangular spot between the stigmata), and 

 marshallana (beautifully marbled with yellow) ; the two former 

 generally occur in abundance, the two latter more rarely ; in fact 

 the last is an excessively rare variet3\ 



Agi'otis tritici. — The type of this species was described by 

 Linnseus, ' Systema Naturse,' No. 320, as: — " Noctua spirilinguis 

 cristata cinerea alis maculis, duabus pallidioribus unaque nigri- 

 cante. Stigma ovale et reniforme ut in reliquis, juxta ovale 

 internis macula nigra ejusdem magnitudinis sumlis Pli.graminis." 



This reference to graminis makes it quite clear that the type 

 was striated, that is, it had a streaked costa and pale median 

 nervure, together with a row of wedge-shaped markings parallel 

 to the hind margins, these all being constant characters of every 

 variety of this species. In addition, we learn that the colour 

 was cinereous, that the two ordinary stigmata were pale, the 

 claviform black, and that there was a black spot of equal size just 

 within the orbicular stigma. Taking all these things into con- 

 sideration, there is little difficulty to fix on a type ; the colour, as 

 before mentioned, is cinereous, and we have oxiiy to imagine a 

 specimen of such a colour, with all the characteristic markings, 

 to settle the matter. The first figure in Newman's 'British 

 Moths ' would fulfil all the conditions. So much for the type. 



A. aquilina. — Hiibner's figure 135 represents the type of this 

 species, and it may be described as follows : — Anterior wings of a 

 dull dark brown, with the space be3'ond the reniform, i. e., 

 between the reniform and outer margin, darker than the base ; 

 also darker brown between the stigmata. The costa arid median 

 nervure scarcely paler than the remainder of the wing, and then 



