166 THE EN'IOMOLOGIST. 



formation. Those from Wallasey are always ochreous ; while 

 two miles away, across a marsh, on Bidston Hill, they are rich 

 satin-like in texture, and almost black in colour; but at Llanferris, 

 sixteen miles distant, as the crow flies, they are almost as blue 

 as Agrotis asJnvorthii. In reply to the enquiry whether Agy'otis 

 similans {pyrophila) still occurs in Great Britain, I have pleasure 

 in saying that it may be taken in Lancashire, Westmoreland, 

 Cumberland (where I took it recently), in Cheshire, Flintshire, 

 and in Denbighshire, where I caught the species last season. 

 — C. S. Gregson ; Eose Bank, Fletcher Grove, Edge Lane, 

 Liverpool, April 20, 1885. 



On the Identity of certain AoROTiDiE. — If your corre- 

 spondent Mr. Tutt had ever bred Agrotis tritici and A. nigricans 

 he would never have come to the conclusion that they at all events 

 were one and the same species, the larva being abundantly distinct, 

 and also feeding attached to different plants. I find nigricans 

 here generally about the roots of sorrel, and of tritici on the 

 sand-hills at the roots of Galium, though it may also be found at 

 the roots of grass and other plants, but I have never found it 

 about sorrel. It is a much darker and more robust larva than 

 tritici, and more resembles i\i?iioi Agrotis segetum; and I apprehend 

 no one will think of making out nigricans and segetum to be one 

 species, seeing that segetum feeds up in the autumn and pupates 

 early in the spring ; whereas nigricans does not feed up until the 

 end of May or early in June. Tritici larva is exceedingly like 

 A. vestigialls [valligera) larva; they feed together; and I have 

 reared both species without having discerned any difference in 

 the larva, and I apprehend no one will want to make out that 

 vestigialls and tritici are one species. All this satisfies me that no 

 importance whatever needs to be attached to the results chronicled 

 by Dr. Adolf Rossler and Dr. Pagenstecher of the insects reared 

 from the swarms of larvae at Ockelheim, seeing that most of the 

 under-ground-feeding larv£e of Agrotidse have a strong family 

 resemblance, and in such a swarm of larvae it is hardly likely 

 minute differences would be noted. I, however, intend this year 

 to rear and carefully describe the larvse of tritici, vestigialis, and 

 nigricans, and put beyond question the fact that nigricans is a 

 true species, and no variety of tritici. We take both species here, 

 but never have any difficulty in discriminating between the two ; nor 

 do we ever take A. obelisca or A. aqiiilina. Probably many so-called 



