96 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



seen it, and I do not know whether it constitutes a distinct species, which 

 is very possible. After the figure of Freyer, it is of a larger size, the crest 

 and the thorax are of a deeper brown, and other less important characters." 

 My own note on this is : — " Freyer, Plate ccclxx. fig. 3. Like scolopacina, 

 but as large as rurea." 



Xylophasia, St., zollikoferi, Frey. 



I have been reminded by Mr. Dobree that I ought scarcely to 

 pass this rare species which has been twice captured in Britain ; 

 one in the beginning of October, 1867, by Mr. Harding of Deal, 

 the other by Mr. Tait, at Inverurie, a few miles from Aberdeen, 

 in September, 1871. The former specimen is in the Doubleday 

 collection at the Bethnal Green Museum, the other is, I believe, 

 still in the possession of Mr. Tait. The notice of the first 

 capture as recorded in the ' Entomologist,' vol. v. pp. 29, 30, is by 

 Mr. Doubleday, and is as follows : — " The beginning of October, 

 1867, Mr. Harding took a large Noctiia at Deal, which was 

 imknown to me, but which I thought might be X. zollikoferi, from 

 M. Guenee's remark that some authors had placed this insect in 

 the genus Nonagria, and Mr. Harding's moth certainly resembles 

 a female N. typhcB in colour and markings. A short time since I 

 sent it to Dr. Staudinger, and he says it is X. zollikoferi var. 

 This species is principally found in Hungary and Russia, but is 

 not common anywhere." The notice of the second capture may 

 be found in the ' Scottish Naturalist,' vol. i. pp. 267, 268, with a 

 very full description by Dr. F. Buchanan White. The type of 

 this species is represented by Freyer in his ' Neuere Beitrage, 

 &c., pi. 184, figs. 1 & 2. Fig. 1 is a male, the " anterior wings of 

 a dull smoky brown colour, with the basal part of the inner 

 margin paler, the nervures of the same dark colour as the other 

 part of the wing ; a short, black, longitudinal, basal line just 

 under the median nervure ; the claviform distinctly outlined in 

 black, but only the slightest traces of the other stigmata ; a row 

 (8) of longitudinal black dots on the nervures just beyond the 

 reniform area ; a faint greyish line parallel to hind margin just 

 outside the dots. Hind wings pale grey, with darker outer 

 margin, dusky nervures, and dusky lunule." Fig. 2 is a female. 

 It is like fig. 1, but the basal and median areas pale greyish 

 brown, extending from the inner margin to costa, followed by the 

 dull, dark, smoky brown colour of the male on the outer area 

 (beyond the reniform) ; basal streak, row of black dots and grey 

 line as in male, but no stigmata. Hind wings much darker than 

 in male, dark smoky brown as in anterior wings, base a little 

 paler." Herrich-Schaffers two figures, ' Sclimet. von Europa,' &c., 

 figs. 103 and 104, also represent dark specimens; fig. 103 

 approaching most nearly to the British specimens. Strange to 

 say both the British specimens are strikingly pale, the Inverurie 

 specimen being paler than the specimen captured at Deal. Of 



