180 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



pure white in the male, with the hind margin slightly shaded 

 with grey in the females. 



a. var. arcuata, Stphs. — The colour of the anterior wings of 

 this variety is pale wainscot, with two black dots on the disc. 

 Posterior wings white, shaded with ashy brown, and with an 

 arched row of brown spots on the veins beyond the centre of the 

 wing. Under this variety 1 would, therefore, include all the 

 forms (whatever their colour) which have this arcuated row of 

 dots. Such a development is very rare in this species, although 

 normal in most of the varieties of straminea, and occasionally 

 occurring in impura. I have several specimens with one or two 

 dots developed, but the only specimen in my series that has any 

 approach to a complete row was captured by Mr. Young, at 

 Rotherham, Yorks. 



/3. var. ectypa, Hb. — Hiibner's fig. 231, which he names ectypa 

 is undoubtedly a fine red form of pallens. It has the anterior 

 wings of a bright reddish ochreous with pale nervures, no central 

 dot, two dots in outer row, one just below the third branch of the 

 median nervure, and one just above the median nervure. Hind 

 wings whitish grey, with a dark grey shade parallel to the hind 

 margin. Dr. Staudinger describes it as " Alse anteriores rufes." 

 I have many specimens in my long series almost like Hiibner's 

 figure. The development of the grey shade on the hind margin 

 into a transverse band, is rarely very distinct in British examples. 

 This is treated by Guenee as a distinct species in his * Noctuelles,' 

 p. 94. 



y. var, rnfescens, Haw. — This variety, treated as a distinct 

 species by Haworth, is thus described by him, " Rufescens, alis 

 anticis venosis immaculatis, oosticis (costa excepta) certo situ 

 fuscescentibus ;" " alis certo situ lineolis 3-4 obsoletis, fuscis, 

 posticis fuliginosis venis fuscis." It is a very slight modifi- 

 cation of ectypa differing from that variety in having none 

 of the three ordinary dots. Otherwise both are red, both 

 have the wing-rays very pale, both have the hind-wings shaded 

 on the outer margin, altliough in ectypa the shading of the 

 hind margin takes a banded form. The anterior wings in 

 rufescens have also three or four dusky streaks visible in certain 

 positions. These streaks are very distinct in some red specimens 

 I have. I believe that both this form and ectypa occur very 

 freely everywhere in Britain with the type. I liave them from 



