TRIFID^. 327 



Wales, with local variation as already described. In Scotland 

 it seems to have resumed its normal form and is found in 

 Koxburgh shire, Ayrshire and the Clyde Valley generally, 

 Argyleshire, Perthshire, Aberdeenshire and elsewhere in the 

 districts of the Tweed, Sol way, Clyde, Forth, Tay, Dee and 

 Moray. In Ireland it appears to be generally distributed 

 and in many parts abundant, but the dark variety very rare. 

 This dark aberration appears to be almost or quite confined 

 to the British Isles, but in its normal form the species is 

 widely distributed in Central Europe, the South of France, 

 Sweden, the North of Italy, Corsica, Dalmatia, Southern and 

 Eastern Russia and Armenia. 



(M. bimaculosa, L. — A large species, about the size of 

 Ai^ccta nchdoi^a, gre^dsh-white with brown lines and marbling, 

 and three enormous white stigmata. Of this species Stephens 

 writes {Illustrations of British Entomology, vol. iii. p. 24) : 

 " The only indigenous example which I have seen of this 

 insect is contained in the collection at the British Museum, 

 to which it was presented by Dr. Leach ; it was captured near 

 Bristol, I believe, in July 1815." This specimen is still in the 

 British Museum, and has on its pin Dr. Leach's label. It is set 

 in the ordinary drooping fashion of very old British insects. In 

 Dr. Mason's collection is a second specimen said to have been 

 captured by Peter Bouchard, from whom it passed into the 

 possession of Mr. Marshall, Leicester. The testimony of the 

 actual captor does not appear in either case to be available, 

 and as no subsequent evidence of the presence of the species 

 in these islands has been furnished, it seems safe to regard 

 these specimens as having been accidentally introduced from 

 abroad, especially as the original example was found in the 

 vicinity of a great seaport such as Bristol. Curtis figured the 

 species and its larva from Hiibner, but furnished no evidence 

 of its British origin. The range of the species seems to be 

 restricted to France, North Italy, Germany, Hungary and 

 Russia.) 



