302 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Flatey Island ones are black, so too those from Thinp;vellir, and 

 those from Onundafjord. The specimen from Patreksfjord is 

 intermediate, the Saudakrok one has the typical red thorax. 



Some of the specimens of Pterostichus are brownish, others 

 jet black; but the difference in colouring does not constitute 

 them two species. 



I am indebted to Messrs. South, Kirby, and Mason for assist- 

 ance in identifying some of the more obscure of my captures. 

 Dun Mallard, Cricklewood, N.W. 



CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS A LIST OF THE VARIETIES 



OF NOCTU^ OCCURRING IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 



By J. W. TuTT, F.E.S. 



(Continued from p. 278.) 



Apamea, Och., gemina, Hb. 

 The type of this species is represented by Hubner's fig. 483, 

 of which I made the following description: — "Anterior wings 

 blackish grey, with a pale basal line ; stigmata faintly outlined, 

 and followed by a pale transverse line, a row of white dots, 

 and a pale toothed line. Posterior wings dark grey, with paler 

 base and dark lunule." Dr. Staudinger writes of the type, 

 " forma obscura magis." This particular form is the one repre- 

 sented in Newman's ' British Moths,' fig. 2, p. 304. It will be 

 seen that very few of our British specimens would answer to the 

 above description, which represents quite a melanic form of the 

 more mottled type. Our specimens of this latter form are 

 generally brownish grey or brown, although I have specimens, 

 taken by the Aberdeen collectors, and others taken by Mr. Percy 

 Russ of Sligo, and Mr. Newman of Darlington, which are either 

 altogether greyish black or otherwise very dark, and closely 

 resemble the type. The species is variable within certain limits, 

 and extends from the more unicolorous type in blackish grey 

 and brownish, through specimens of the same coloration, 

 but with a distinct line under the stigmata, to an extreme 

 variety with all the median space and costal area very dark, and 

 the outer and inner margins pale grey, and bearing a strong 

 superficial resemblance to Hadena genistce in some specimens. 

 The first (mottled) form follows the group,* of which I consider 

 hasilinea the type, having the short longitudinal basal line and 

 paler transverse lines ; the latter (dark central area) forms an 

 extreme development, which I consider typical* in pabulatrlcula, 

 having the development of the dark nn-like mark under the 



* Vide introductory notes to genus Apamea. 



