VARIE'lIES OF NOCTU^ IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 05 



he applies afterwards apparently to rurea. It must be confessed 

 there is considerable doubt about the types of this species and 

 rurea. 



Xylophasia, St., scolopacina, Esp. 



The type is represented by Esper's fig. 1, plate 130. The 

 figure is bad, but certainly recognisable as this species. The 

 following is the description I made of it : — " Anterior wings 

 dark ochreous, with a decided brown tinge, a dark dash at the 

 base of the inner margin. A dark red basal streak, paler 

 (ochreous) orbicular, and reniform dark-centred ; a dark line 

 from costa to inner margin ; between stigmata a reddish lunule 

 on the inner edge of the reniform; a number of dark long 

 streaks outside the reniform, and a pale wavy line parallel to the 

 hind margin. Hnid wings brownish, with a reddish tinge, upper 

 margin da)-k reddisli." Hiibner figures (460) scolopacina, & small 

 male, with ground colour pale ochreous, the middle of the wing 

 (between the stigmata) and the outer margin reddish, orbicular 

 indistinct, reniform white, with a small white spot beyond the 

 reniform. Guenee says of scolopacina: — "It varies much in 

 size and intensity of colour, but the lines are always more 

 distinct than in any other Xylophasia " (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 

 145). Of Freyer's, Plate Ixiv., fig. 1 — scolopacina, I made the 

 following notes : — " Yellow ochreous with a reddish tint, a dark 

 red lineola at base of inner margin, orbicular outlined in blackish, 

 reniform red outlined in whitish ; four dark costal streaks above 

 stigmata, a double basal line, a waved line outside reniform, 

 forming almost linear dots on nervures, dark reddish line parallel 

 to hind margin." It will be thus seen that Esper's type and 

 Hiibner's figure are much darker than the generality of specimens 

 taken in Britain, while Freyer's is very much like them. I have 

 a specimen captured by Mr. Harrison, near Barnsle}^, slightly 

 glaucous, but otherwise dark like the type. All my others are 

 much paler. The dark type is also described in Humphrey and 

 Westwood's 'British Moths,' vol. i., p. 160, but the pale form is 

 figured in the same work, Plate xxxii., fig. 8. The paler form is 

 described by Haworth as follows : — 



« var. ahhreviata, Haw. — " Alse ex hepatico lutescentes, vel subinde 

 saturatiores varie uebulosse ; basi ad latus iiiterius lineola nigra, fascia sub- 

 fusca in medio costse valde abbieviata; pone stigmata oidinaria obsoleta, 

 striga tenuis nigra, regulariter et concinne dentata : tunc striga altera 

 crassior fusco-brunnea juxta marginem posticum, parum undulata ; mar- 

 gine ipso ustulatu, punctis circiter quinque pallidis ; ciliis itideai ustulatis " 

 (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 170). As these pale specimens vary a little 

 inter se, L think Haworth 's name should include all our paler ochreous 

 forms. 



(3. var, nnx, Frey. ? — Guenee, in his ' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 145, gives 

 this as a probable variety of scolopacina. He says of it : — " 1 have not 



