268 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Janson, who accompanied him in many of his excursions, and 

 introduced him to the locahty where these nigrana varieties were 

 mostly captured. 



Merlaiia, Clk. — His description is sufficient to identify this. 

 The head and thorax is more ash-coloured than the last, whilst 

 the striana-\\\\Q, lines on the inner margin are quite unlike the 

 consistent unicolorous band which distinguishes Jansonana. 



Atrana, Clk. — A good variety. The author's description of 

 the vitta as orange-coloured scarcely, however, hits the mark, as 

 it is difficult to give a colour term to it ; really it is scarlet, with 

 a yellow margin either side, a combination that makes the 

 general aspect of the vitta much richer in colour than the term 

 which is expressed by orange. 



Alhonigrana, Clk., does not belong to this group, but to that 

 of ruficostana, whilst nigrorvficostana {nigrocostann), Clk., is only a 

 very black nigrocvistana. Neither would be mentioned here but 

 for the names, which are misleading. By some extraordinary 

 blunder, Clark's plate, showing these aberrations, has the names 

 and figures reversed. 



Ruficostana Group. 



Upper part of wing rich rufous broivn. Button wanting or 

 extremely small. 



Curtis says of the type of ruficostana, " inner margin white," 

 but Clark, " that the true ruficostana is yellow." Which is 

 correct ? If Curtis stands, alhoruficostana, Clk., must fall. But 

 for many years that with the white vitta has been in our cabinets 

 as the typical form. The description must stand before any 

 plate. 



Ruficristana, Johnson. — He describes this as precisely similar 

 to ruficostana, Curt., of which he says his (Curtis's) description 

 would do for the two, but there is a very small red tuft in rufi- 

 cristana, John., which is absent in Curtis's moth, and it is very 

 seldom seen. Our authorities have been right in sinking this 

 name. 



Attaliana. — Clark says it is the only aberration in this 

 lovely group of four which has the white dots on the superior 

 wings in the marginal area ; and inasmuch as Clark had but two 

 specimens, and one of these he made his type, whilst the other 

 has no white dots on the superior wings, it must be left to our 

 readers whether or not a varietal name should be admitted for a 

 single example. 



Transrersana, Clk. — Well-founded and distinct, without any 

 vitta ; altogether a dull-looking insect, of which there are several 

 in cabinets, but not hitherto differentiated. 



Alhonigrana, Clk. — Wings deep slate-coloured, the upper 

 third of the wing velvety black, vitta pure white ; a chaste and 

 beautiful form. 



(To be continued.) 



