VARIETIES OF XOCTU.E IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 137 



from Torquay, — the hind margin of the anterior wings with a 

 hroad silvery band ; while those from the latter place have only a 

 fine line, and the hind wings of the former are so white that they 

 present a very different appearance to Torquay specimens. The 

 latter, indeed, appear to be Hlibner's oditis. Among our ordinary 

 British specimens we appear to have four (at least) distinct 

 forms : — 



1. A dark brown form, with deep ochreous stigmata, and dark 

 ochreous grey hind wings in both sexes, = var. suffusa. 



2. A dark brown form, with silvery white markings, white 

 band on hind margin, hind wings comparatively pale, = var. 

 argentea. 



3. A pale brownish grey form, with white markings and white 

 hind wings, = var. pallida. 



4. An obsolete form, with no markings whatever between the 

 reniform and outer margin, = var. ohsoleta. 



«. var. intermedia, raihi. — An intermediate form, described by Guenee 

 as var. a, which serves to connect Hiibner's violet type with our British 

 specimens which are without such a tint. It is described in liis 

 ' Noctuelles,' vol. v. p. 172, as " Generally paler, more yellow, less violet, 

 with the lines and stigmata more decided of a clearer white. The inferior 

 wings clearer. Locality, West of France." If Guenee did not leave us to 

 suppose that this variety was violet-tinged, I should certainly suppose it 

 was the same as the ordinary Portland specimens. 



p. var. suffusa, mihi. — Ground colour dark brown, with the stigmata of 

 deep ochreous colour, the transverse lines and nervures of a whitish ochreous 

 in the males, yellow ochreous in tlie females, a fine line bordering the hind 

 margin : fringes grey. Hind wings grey in both sexes, with a very dark 

 outer margin, and a dark transverse line; fringes grey. This is by far the 

 most suffused form I have seen. My specimens came from Torquay. 



y. var. argentea, mihi. — Ground colour dark brown, with longitudinal 

 nervures and basal transverse lines white; orbicular and reniform white, 

 with a faint yellow tinge ; a transverse grey (almost steel-grey) band beyond 

 the reniform, and a broad white line parallel to the hind margin. Hind 

 wings white, with a broken grey hind marginal band, and a grey transverse 

 line ; fringes white. The ground colour of the females is darker. My 

 specimens came from Portland. 



h. var. pallida, mihi. — Ground colour grey, very pale, with a slight 

 brownish tinge ; costa very pale, whitish ochreous ; a broad white line at 

 hind margin ; fringes white. Hind wings white, with scarcely a trace of 

 the grey marginal border, and only the basal part of the grey transverse 

 line ; fringes white. This is an extreme form of var. argentea. Of this 

 variety, Mr. Nelson Richardson writes, " This is a more common var., and 

 very pretty, .... I think the pale hispidus is the prettiest form of the 

 species " [in litt.). My specimens came from Portland. 



6. var. obsoleta, mihi. — A very peculiar form of the insect. Ground 

 colour dull grey, with very few pale markings ; a pale abbreviated transverse 

 basal line, a complete one just before the orbicular, a bifurcate transverse 

 median line, extending under orbicular to the reniform and the central 

 part of the basal nervures, are the only pale markings, besides the 



ENTOM. — MAY, 1889. O 



