252 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



CONTRIBUTLONS TOWARDS A LIST OF THE VARIETTES 

 OF NOCTURE OCCURRING IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 



By J. W. TuTT, F.E.S. 

 (Continued from p, 229.) 



Calamia, Hb., lutosa, Hb. 



The type of this species is represented by Hiibner's fig. 282, 

 which may be described as having the anterior wings pale 

 ochreous with whitish nervures, the posterior wings grey with 

 dusky nervures. There are no traces of spots on any of the 

 wings. The type is rare in England, though the varieties are 

 abundant. The variation in colour of this species is very great. 

 It varies from pale ochreous to deep red. Some specimens are 

 much irrorated with black scales. From the type, with no 

 transverse rows of spots, we find every gradation to a complete 

 row extending across both the anterior and posterior wings. The 

 variation in size is remarkable. I have specimens of var. pilicornis 

 not larger than palletis ; I have specimens of vars. canncs and 

 crass'icornis larger than my largest arundinis. Mr. Dobrea 

 writes : — " It is a common insect in some years near Beverley, 

 both in the type and all the varieties of size and colour, including 

 very handsome specimens (var. crass'icornis) with the three dark 

 longitudinal shades very sharply defined and quite black" {in litt.). 



». var. crassicornis, Haw. — Treated by our early British 

 lepidopterists as a distinct species. Havvorth's original descrip- 

 tion is: — "Alee anticaj subfulvo alboque venoste, atque cinera- 

 scentes ex punctulis minutissimis numerosissimis fuscis, absque 

 lente vix conspicuis, punctisque aliis circiter sex majoribus 

 posticis, in strigam arcuatam dispositis. Alae posticus fusca3 ciliis 

 lutescentibus." (' Insecta Britannica,' p. 178) This name is 

 given to those wainscot-brown specimens which are thickly 

 irrorated with fuscous scales, with a distinct transverse row of 

 black dots on the anterior wings and continued on the posterior. 

 The minute fuscous atoms form three very distinct dark longi- 

 tudinal shades, one extending on eitlier side of the median 

 nervure, another extending from the base just under the costa, 

 a third just above, but parallel with the inner margin. Hind 

 wings dark grey, with a transverse row of dots. The spaces 



