TRIFID^. 201 



Slightly variable in the tone of colour of the fore wings, 

 from yellowish-brown to dull umbreous, and in the degree of 

 dark marbling and marking; occasional specimens having 

 them almost or quite suffused with dark umbreous till 

 hardly any markings are visible and even the subterminal 

 line is obscured. On the other hand those possessing the 

 paler ground colour frequently have the reniform stigma 

 very dark, or else there is a broad shaded darker central band, 

 broad at the costa, tapering off to the middle of the wing, 

 and thence to the dorsal margin very narrow. Dr. Mason 

 has a specimen very curiously smeared with dark brown and 

 having the markings almost obliterated ; in the collection of 

 Mr. Sydney Webb is one of the smooth ricli yellowish-fawn 

 colour seen in Apamca hasilinea. But probably the most 

 interesting form yet met with here is a specimen taken by 

 Colonel Partridge, at the Isle of Portland, on the night of 

 August 15, 1888. It was recognised as a form known in 

 North America as H. alUfusa, Grote, and was supposed to 

 be a distinct species. Information received from Professor 

 J. B. Smith, of Washington, and subsequent examination of 

 long series in the National Collection, has dispelled this idea 

 and proved the specimen in question to belong to the present 

 species ; but with the exception of this single specimen, this 

 peculiar variety does not seem to have been observed in the 

 eastern hemisphere. The orbicular stigma in it is large and 

 whitish, the reniform also large, dark grey, with a perpen- 

 dicular pale shade down its middle ; the claviform very 

 broad, almost lunate, grey edged with black ; from the 

 whitish orbicular stigma a pale oblique band meets, near the 

 anal angle, another broad pale stripe from the apex of the 

 wing. These pale bands give it a very singular appearance. 

 In the United States this form appears to be common, 

 becoming even more strongly marked than the Portland 

 specimen, while all the intermediate shades of colour and 

 marking between these and the ordinary typical examples are 

 found. Since writing the above I have received from my 



