98 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



the descriptions are identical. There is a difference in the 

 ground colour, some being much better described by the term 

 " fuscous " than " black." It is described by Haworth imder the 

 same name pinastri, as :— " Alis nigris, macula striata cnierea 

 aquilfB alam simulante ad angulum ani." " Cristata, niger vel 

 ater antennis subferrugineis, thoracis dorso abdomineque cinereis. 

 Alse superiores postice undulatim et striatim plus minus cmereae. 

 Margo tenuior etiam cinerascit. Posticse al® fuscse, ciliis cmereis. 

 Hubner also figures (240) pinastri, with normal anterior but 

 bluish posterior wings. This latter is without doubt due to over- 

 colouring. Newman in his ' British Moths,' p. 287 says :— " This 

 is one of those moths which are constant in the arrangement and 

 tint of their colours. I am unable to select from among the 

 numerous specimens which have reached my hands,^^ a single 

 individual to which I can possibly allude as a variety." I have 

 seen no good varieties; but some specimens have the dark 

 portions of the anterior wings much more intense than others. 

 Possibly the greatest amount of variation exists in the quantity ot 

 pale longitudinal markings near the hind margin, some having a 

 large number of short longitudinal streaks especially near the 

 apex, others being almost without them ; while some have the 

 pale marking (from which it gets its English name "the birds 

 wing ") near the anal angle, and its continuation along the inner 

 margin of a much clearer grey than others ; in fact, I have some 

 where this marking is almost absent, and others where it is quite 

 whitish grey with scarcely any darker shading. I have one 

 specimen much below the average size. Guenee in his ' Noctuelles, 

 vol. V. p. 146 writes : — " Superior wings brown-black, with the 

 inner margin and a large bilobed spot at the anal angle, of a 

 testaceous grey marked with brown streaks." 



var. pinastri, L.— The Liniiajaii description ' Systema Naturae,' 12th 

 edition, p. 851, No. 160, is as foUows :— " Noctua spirilniguis cribtata, aiis 

 deflexis nigris: margine dorsah poslicoque paUidis." " Cnsise lu dorso 

 jpsius abdominis 4 pone thoracem gibbum ; characteres m ahs atn. 



(Black instead of fuscous.) 



(To be contiDued.) 



ON THE VARIATION OF INSECTS. 



By T. D. a. Cockerell. 



(Continued from p. 56.) 



m. Suppression of light markings. 

 Papilio asterias astero'kles, Eeak. Limenitis arthemis; dimor- 

 phic forms, lamina, Fab., mid proserpina, Edw. Apatara ins loLe, 

 Schitf., Newman, Brit. Butt. 72. Mamestra persicarice unicoLor, 

 Stgr.— These must, I suppose, be regarded as cases of partial 



