VARIETIES OF NOCTU-E IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 209 



coast of Lancashire, var. fribolus ; (2) a fine black form from 

 North Kent, var. nigro-distincta ,- and (3) an ochreou« grey form, 

 var. unicolor. Some of my specimens much resemble Hiibner's 

 type (although I have never seen a British specimen exactly 

 like it), others are like Newman's figure, besides the unicolorous 

 forms. There is really very little doubt that this species is in 

 reality polymorphic, closely resembling its near allies, the genus 

 Apainea, in this respect. It would be impossible to classify 

 the different forms except in a most general way. Guenee does 

 so by classifying them into those with ground colour " grey- 

 brown," and those with ground colour " grey-black." He 

 writes : — " This species offers, like albicolon, two varieties : one 

 of a grey-brown and one of a grey-black. The first is the type 

 of Hubner. The markings are rarely so well marked as in the 

 figure of that author." Guenee then divides the form with a 

 black ground colour into two varieties, the fribolus of Boisduval, 

 an almost unicolorous blackish form, and var. b, a black form 

 with the markings more distinct. The lunulina of Haworth 

 agrees pretty correctly with Hiibner's type. His summarised 

 description is : — " Noctua alis fuscis strigis lunularum pallid- 

 arum " (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 192, No. 92). We thus get 

 the following forms : — 



1. Anterior wings much variegated with black and white 

 markings, = var. variegata, Stdg. 



2. Brownish-grey ground colour, with distinct markings, 

 = abjecta, Hb. 



3. Ochreous or brownish grey, with no markings, = var. 

 unicolor. 



4. Blackish grey, with distinct markings, = var. nigro- 

 distincta. 



5. Deep greyish black, with indistinct markings, = var. 

 fribolus, Bdv., = nigricans, Freyer. • 



a. var. variegata, Stdgr. — Staudinger's description of this variety is as 

 follows: — " Al. ant. thoraceque albido nigroque variis." I do not think 

 many of our specimens have much white about them. The most variegated 

 British specimen I have seen belongs to Mr. Robson, and was captured near 

 Hartlepool. This is much irrorated with whitish scales, and variegated 

 with black; I have one from Shoeburyuess less strongly marked. I would 

 include all grey or brown, irrorated and variegated specimens under this 

 name. 



(3. var. unicolor, mihi. — Anterior wings of a brownish grey colour, with 

 an ochreous tinge, and with no distinct markings. This is our more 

 general unicolorous form, and is much more frequent than the blackish 

 grey unicolorous variety. On the east coast it is the form more often met 

 with than any other. I have it from Strood, the neighbourhood of Hull, 

 Shoeburyness ; and a series that I have looked over, taken by Mr. Robson 

 at Hartlepool, belong principally to this form. 



y. var. nigro-distincta, mihi. — This is Guenee's var. B., which he 



ENTOM. — AUGUST, 1889. U 



