VARIETIES OF NOCTU^ IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 269 



say, at a moderate computation, that there were over 300 speci- 

 mens. I could not capture any, owing to the great height of the 

 Hght, but they appeared to be chiefly Mamestra composita and 

 Porina signata. I think that this is a good instance of the 

 efficiency of the electric light in attracting insects, as I have 

 found that an ordinary lamp will not attract more than a 

 dozen or twenty specimens even under the most favourable 

 circumstances. 



Wellington, New Zealand, August 5, 1888. 



CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS A LIST OF THE VARIETIES 



OF NOCTURE OCCURRING IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 



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



(Continued from p. 254.) 



ApAMiD^aj, Gn. 

 This extensive family contains some of our most variable 

 and some of our most constant species of Noctute. It seems 

 almost impossible to make any general remarks as to the ten- 

 dency of variation in the family as a whole, as the different 

 genera vary more or less in different directions. The variation 

 in ground colour is in some instances very remarkable, whilst 

 the markings vary exceedingly in many species. Such species as 

 didyma, hicoloria, strigilis, may well be termed polymorphic. The 

 colours of a very large number of species vary from a pale grey or 

 yellowish ground colour, through various shades of brown or red 

 to black. There is probably no family in which more pronounced 

 cases of melanism occur, or where it is more general, e. g. micacea, 

 rurea, monoglypha, testacea, leucostigma, didyma, strigilis, exulis, 

 hasilinea and abjecta are well-known examples, and all show a 

 great and general tendency to the production of melanic forms. 

 Even such constant species as scolopacina and sublustris occa- 

 sionally show a tendency in this direction, the former being 

 darker in Yorkshire than in the London district, the latter some- 

 times occurring very much suffused at Deal. 



Gortyna, 0., ochracca, Hb. 

 Ilubner's ochracea (' Beitriiege zur geschichte der Schmet.,' 

 pi. 2. m.) is referred by Guenee to this species, and considered by 



