154 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



occurring in Britain. I have it from Glasgow, Sligo, Yorks, and many 

 other Iccalities, north and south. 



^. var. trlcuspis, Esp. No. 8, above. Esper's tricuspis, pi. Ixviii., 

 figs. 2 and 3, may be described as follows : — Fig. 2, $. "Anterior wings 

 deep reddish brown, with a short, two-forked, longitudinal, basal mark 

 starting from centre of thorax ; between this and the base, and extending 

 along the median nervure, is an ochreous longitudinal blotch, which is in 

 contact with the orbicular and reniform, the blotch branching beyond the 

 reniform. All the markings dull ochreous grey." Esper's fig. 3 is a pale 

 ochreous form, which he calls a ?, but from the tufted anal segment it 

 would appear to be a (?. Of tricuspis, Esp., Guenee writes: — ''The 

 ordinary stigmata and the bidentate spot confluent, also the claviform, and 

 prolonged in bright yellow almost to the base of the wing " (' Noctuelles,' 

 vol. v., p. 17(3.) This should include all reddish forms with ochreous 

 markings. I have this variety from Sligo, Glasgow, Morpeth, &c. Conti- 

 nental lepidopterists often send out as tricuspis, Esp., varieties which differ 

 very much from Esper's figure; many of the specimens have a white 

 central line instead of ochreous, and others are more like Haworth's 

 grainiiteus. 



y. var. ryfa, mihi. — No. 4, above. This is Hiibner's tricuspis, fig. 143, 

 which may be described as: — "Anterior wings dark reddish, with a pale 

 streak below the costa; orbicular indistinct; the pale median nervure, 

 touching the base of the orbicular and reniform, makes at the bise of the 

 reniform two distinct white branches; the wedge-shaped spots parallel to 

 the hind margin are preceded by a pale band." Of this variety Guenee 

 says: — "Hiibner's fig. 143 is a strongly-marked variety, but entirely 

 accidental" {' Noctuelles,' v. p. 176j. Staudinger's description of tricuspis, 

 Esp., does not apply so well to that form as to var. rufa. He says : — " Al. ant. 

 unicolor rufescentibus, mac. magna trifida alba." This name should include 

 all red forms with white markings. I have this variety from Sligo, 

 Glasgow, Yorkshire, &c. 



S. var. rujo-costa, mihi. No. 5, above. This is Hiibner's fjraminis, 

 fig. 480, which may be described as: — "Anterior wings grey, with bright 

 red costa from base to apex ; stigtnata ochreous, median net vure branched, 

 ochreous; that part of the wing just around the stigmata dark reddish 

 brown ; beyond the reniform a broad red patch extends trom the costa to 

 the inner margin ; the ordinary row of wedge-shaped spots parallel to the 

 hind margin." I would include all ibrms with a red costa under this name. 

 I have only specimens from the Hebrides of this variety, but it undoubtedly 

 occurs elsewhere. 



e. war. hibeniicus. Curt.— Curtis's description ('British Entomology,' 

 p. 451) is as follows: — "Dull yellowish brown; superior wings with an 

 elongated pale ochreous spot at the base above the central nervure, 

 and another subelliptical one more towards the middle, with a lemon- 

 shaped one above it; beyond the middle is a trapezoid spot resting on a 

 trifid cliaracter all of the sam^ pale colour, some of them being partially 

 relieved by a dark brown ; between the nervures at the posterior margin 

 are obscure, elongate-trigonate brown marks; abdomen and inferior wings 

 fuscous, cilia pale ochreous. I am fully aware that C. graminis is a most 

 variable species; but as I have never seen one similar to the specimen 

 figured, I consider it may be a distinct species. It was captured last 

 September in the county of Mayo, Ireland." I have this variety from 



