VARIETIES OF NOCTU^ IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 69 



macula ad angulum ani fuscse. Posticse supra fuscse margine 

 exteriori et postico albidis. Subtus pallidas puncto arcuque 

 fuscis" (' Entomologia Systematica,' p. 618). 



This is an exceedingly variable species, and the gradation and 

 various phases of development as shown in its variation are very 

 interesting. The variation strikes off in two distinct directions, 

 both resulting in the production of distinct, almost unicolorous 

 forms. The first group has the prevailing colours yellowish- 

 ochreous and bright red, the second group has the prevailing 

 colour brown. The first group appears to run from the type, 

 with whitish-grey ground colour, to the var. ochrea, an ochreous- 

 yellow form, with distinct red markings, through the var. 

 intermedia, with red ground colour and distinct darker red 

 markings, to flavo-rufa, an unicolorous form of a yellowish- 

 red ground colour. The second group commences with the var. 

 putris, of Hiibner, of a dark ochreous ground colour, with deep red- 

 brown markings, leading up to the combusta of Haw., a fuscous 

 brown form, much clouded with darker, through the alopecurus of 

 Esper, a deep reddish-brown form, with black costal streaks, and 

 only the reniform marked, culminating in var. nigro-i'ubida, a deep 

 reddish-black form, with no markings. 



The type (grey form) is, perhaps, the rarest of all the different 

 forms occurring in Britain. I have only specimens in my cabinet 

 from Mr. Percy Russ, of Sligo, and from Rannoch, although Mr. 

 Tugwell has informed me that it occurs in the Isle of Man. 

 There is no doubt that this is the most beautiful of all the 7'urea 

 varieties, some of the grey specimens having a peculiar glaucous 

 tinge. This foi'm is the hepatica of Haworth, and possibly the 

 hepatica of Linnaeus, although the latter is doubtful. Mr. T. 

 Salvage writes : — " I took two very beautiful silvery varieties of 

 this species {rurea) in Rannoch ten years ago, but have never 

 seen the like before or since" (in litt., '88). We thus have the 

 following groups : — 



I. ] . rurea — the greyish-white type. 



2. ochrea — yeUowish ground colour, with typical markings. 



3. intermedia — reddish ground colour, with typical markings. 



4. flavo-rufa — unicolorous, yellowish-red specimens, 



II. 1. putris, Hb. — pale brownish-grey ground colour, with a dark brown 

 central band. 



2. combusta, Haw. — dark fuscous brown, with reniform outlined in 



white. 



3. alopecurus, Esper — dark reddish-brown, with black costal streaks, 



and the reniform with black circumscription. 



4. nigro-ruhida — a deep, reddish-black, unicolorous form. 



Of the varieties of this species from the Hebrides, Mr. J. 

 Jenner Weir writes, " A very fine series was taken, showing 

 a number of intermediate varieties between the type and the 



