244 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



these and others there was a goodly number taken, most of 

 which I have had the good fortune to see. 



Mr. Wheeler has especially shown great kindness in 

 lending for use in the ' Entonnologist' his fine series of eight 

 specimens, two of which, male and female, I selected for 

 figuring, and they appear at the head of this article. 



In examining these Pachnobia hypoborea, 1 find the first 

 notable character is the wonderful variety of the markings ; 

 I have scarcely seen two alike, and certainly not three. In 

 Mr. Wheeler's series, independently of those figured, is one 

 which represents the true variety carnica ; it is nearly like 

 Herrich-Schaffer's figure 421, in fact is devoid of all the 

 conspicuous dark markings, with the reddish ground colour 

 of Noctua festiva. Other specimens are of a deep rich red 

 colour, with a bloom upon them like that upon a newly bred 

 specimen of Agrotis agathina. But by far the most handsome 

 specimen is one 1 have seen which has a ground colour of 

 bright blue : this was taken by Mr. Robertson. 



As regards their comparison with continental examples, 

 those from Finmark are very constant in the markings, while 

 those from Central Europe are quite as variable as those 

 from North Britain ; in fact, were the two series mixed, it 

 would be impossible to separate them, unless differently set. 



Dr. Staudinger, in his ' Catalog,' says this species occurs 

 in Lapland, Alpine Norway, the Swiss Alps, Mountains of 

 Silesia, and Hungarian Alps. He adds, in a short note in 

 E. M. M., p. 90, vol. xiii., " In 1860 1 took this insect (in 

 company with my friend Dr. Wocke), not unfrequentl\', in 

 Finmark, in July ; and we found pupa3, and also larvae, at 

 the end of May, in moss. Since then the species has been 

 found on the Dovrefjeld in the centre of Norway, on the 

 Riesengebirge (Silesia), and on the Alps of Switzerland and 

 Tyrol. On the Alps of Carinthia it has a reddish (instead of 

 bluish) coloration, and this form was described by Hering as 

 carnica. * * * 1 saw in the Museum at Pesth a specimen, 

 taken by the younger Frivaldsky in the Carpathian Moun- 

 tains, which is intermediate between the two forms. * * * 

 The species has a wide distribution on the Continent." 



Mr. Wheeler, in a private letter, says : — " I think (writing 

 of P. hypoborea) it is generally, though sparingly, distributed 

 over the Perthshire mountains, above the level of 2000 or 



