26 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



mentioned ; and having since paid more attention to 

 Coleoplera he had not made a proper examination of the 

 specimen. Lately he has again devoted hiniself to the study 

 of the Lepidoplera of his district ; and upon more carefully 

 exannning the specin)en in question he observed that it was 

 totally different from anything he had previously noticed, and 

 therefore forwarded it to London for identification. He states 

 that he captured the insect in the neighbourhood of woods, 

 composed of Scotch fir, birch, and hazel ; and that in the 

 exact spot of its capture was a plentiful growth of sweet gale, 

 blackberries, and Vaccinia. The larva of the insect feeds on 

 Artemisia, Cenlaurea, Linaria, Teucrium, Plaiitago, Vero- 

 nica, and Slacliys. 



The specimen is a male, apparently but just emerged from 

 the chrysalis, with the right wings in a somewhat crumpled 

 state. 



Me/i/cea Didyma is of wide distribution on the Continent, 

 being foMnd in Russia, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, 

 and Spain. 1 have specimens of tlie insect in my cabinet 

 from Poltawa and Kief, and have taken it myself in the Alps. 

 The Scotch specimen is very closely similar to a male which 

 I captured in Switzerland, a few hundred feet above the 

 English church at Zermait, and pai takes more of the usual 

 appearance of the insect from alpine districts than those 

 found in lower grounds. 



This species of Melitcea is an ally of Cin.via : like that 

 insect the under side of the hind wings has large, black, basal 

 spots. Slaudinger states that the insect is " valde variaiis el 

 aherraus^ The male has the wings on the upper side of a 

 bright reddish fulvous; fore wings with a row of black spots 

 on the hind margin, and another in the centre, and several 

 other black spots; hind wings with a marginal row of black 

 spots, and other indistinct scattered black markings: under 

 side — fore wings pale fulvous, with similar markings to those 

 on the upper side, tip slraw-colour, fringes spotted with 

 black; hind wings straw-coloiu', with two distinct reddish 

 bands separated with rows of black spots, fringes spotted 

 with black. The female has all these colours and markings 

 more subdued, and the lulvous suffused with fuscous: in 

 alpine varieties the black is slightly tinged with greenish. 



1'he neighbourhood of the Solway Fnth, where this insect 



