112 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



series is placed in the cabinet, the effect is worth the slight extra 

 trouble. 



With regard to recording one's captures I have a Beare & 

 Donisthorpe's ' Catalogue,' interleaved, in which every species 

 taken is set down, with locality and any other note of interest. 

 After a few years a record of this kind becomes very valuable 

 when studying the geographical distribution of species ; and 

 though, of course, a collector will conscientiously label each 

 insect he sets, a well written-up catalogue is very convenient for 

 reference. 



The Priory, Chatteris : February, 1908. 



A NEW VARIETY OF AMPHIDASYS BETULARIA. 

 By Wm. Mansbridge, F.E.S. 



At a recent meeting of the Lancashire and Cheshire Ento- 

 mological Society Mr. T. Baxter, of St. Anne's-on-Sea, sent for 

 exhibition, among other things, a female specimen of a buff 

 form of A. betidaria captured by himself at St. Anne's in June, 

 1891. The specimen was kept for five days, but unfortunately 

 no ova were obtained. 



A description of Mr. Baxter's insect is as follows : — 



Antennae pale ochreous, banded with black ; thorax and abdomen 

 pale ochreous mixed with black ; fore wings with costa brownish 

 ochreous, the remainder of the wings ochreous with typical black 

 markings ; hind wings with ground-colour somewhat paler ochreous, 

 especially on the costa ; black markings typical. The black is some- 

 what dull, doubtless owing to the presence of a few reddish brown 

 scales, which can be seen in a good light with the help of a strong 

 lens. Expanse 60 mm. ( = 2| in.) 



From the above it will be seen that this moth is typical as to 

 the black markings, but that the white ground-colour is replaced 

 by ochreous ; and that the normal ochreous suffusion on the 

 costa of the fore wings of the typical female is brownish 

 ochreous. 



I have had an opportunity of comparing this specimen with 

 an example of the so-called buff form obtained by the Middleton 

 collectors about 1875 (Entom. xxii. 113, 162 ; xxxiv. 180, 203, 

 228, 252, 324), in which the ground-colour is pure white, and 

 the black markings totally pale reddish brown, so that Mr. 

 Baxter's insect is quite distinct from the Middleton varieties. 



As this is a natural variation being due to an extension of 

 colour normally present, and likely at any time to recur, I 

 propose the varietal name ochrearia to distinguish it. 



