64 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Straight, black, with six longitudinal ochreous lines ; the first almost 

 imperceptible, extending interruptedly only about one-sixth from hind- 

 margin towards base ; the second traversing the whole of the wing unin- 

 terrupted throughout, and broadest on disc, slightly curved downwards 

 towards hind margin ; the third much broken, and terminating at about 

 one quarter from hind margin ; also the fourth and fifth, which are, how- 

 ever, a little longer; the sixth very broad, extending from hind margin to 

 base of the wing. Costa and inner margin edged with ochreous. Hind 

 wings with a broad sub-marginal band of black, terminating shortly 

 before anal angle, a large black dot being situated in the anal angle, 

 yellowish ochre, tinged with red in the vicinity of the black band. Hind 

 margin brilliant crimson, except at anterior angle, where black band 

 extends to the edge of the wing ; cilia of both wings ochreous. Abdomen 

 black, with long ochreous hairs. Beneath, all the wings are yellowish ochre, 

 with their margins broadly edged with black, and tinged with red near the 

 edges. A conspicuous reddish stripe in the disc of each wing, and also a 

 minute discal dot, which is quite invisible on the upper surface. Female 

 unknown, but probably apterous. 



This species chiefly differs from the two others belonging to 

 the genus Metacrias in possessing the yellow collar, the absence 

 of any large discal spot on both fore wings and hind wings, and 

 the red colouring of the posterior margins of hind wings. The 

 two other species {Metacrias erichrysa, Meyr., il/. huttonii, Butler), 

 are described by Mr. Meyrick, in the ' Proceedings of the Linnean 

 Society of New South Wales,' 1886. 

 Wellington, New Zealand, November 8, 1888. 



ON THE VARIATION OF INSECTS. 



By T. D. a, Cockerell. 



(Continued from p. 29.) 



1. Suffusion and Melanism. 



Limenitis Sibylla nigra, Entom. 1878, 101, quite black. (See 

 also Newman, p. 67 ; and Ent. Mo. Mag., 1877, 89). Melanargia 

 galatea turcica, B,, Entom. 1878, 101, black, or nearly black. 

 M. galatea j^rocida, Hbst., " var. obscurior" (Staudinger). Eupi- 

 thecia albipunctata angelicata, Prest, Barrett, Entom. xi. 170, 

 with fig. Vanessa cardui semisiffusa, hind wings smoky. Entom. 

 xi. 24. V. cardui elymi, Ebr., " maculis confluentibus." Argynnis 

 euphrosyne fingal, Hbst., " minor, obscurior " (Boreal Europe). 

 A. selene hela, Stgr., "minor, supra obscurior" (Lapland, 

 Siberia). Pieris napi hryonice, Ochs., " ab. ? obscurior" (Euro- 

 pean Alps, Alaska). Nemeophila plantaginis matronalis, Frr., hind 

 wings almost entirely black. Callimorpha domimda persona, Hb., 

 hind wings dark. Spilosoma Juliginosa borealis, Stgr., smaller and 

 darker. Hepialus velleda gallicus, Ld., " <? unicolor fuscus." 



