ABERRATIONS OF BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 103 



secondaries in normal examples are absent in those figured, and 

 the dusky margins blend into the blue, especially in fig, 7, which 

 is without the central dots on the right secondary. The under 

 sides do not show any noteworthy variation. 



Fig. 8. — Bombi/x quercus, <? . This extraordinary aberration 

 is also in the rich collection of Mr. Farn. It bears a label, 

 " Bred by Purbrook, Brighton." The median pale band is of a 

 light greenish olive, and gradually blends into the marone or 

 purple-brown margin. The under side is similarly coloured to 

 the upper, but somewhat paler. 



YiQ.9.—Arctia caia, <? . I am again indebted to Mr. Farn 

 for the loan of this splendid insect, which he bred on Oct. 18th, 

 1899, from the ovum ; the female parent was taken in July last 

 at Greenhithe, Kent. The ground colour of the primaries is 

 pale brown with an indistinct pattern of rusty brown, and dusky 

 markings. The secondaries have the ground colour of a smoky 

 grey-brown, darkest on the margins, and ochreous buff at the 

 base along the inner margin ; the metallic blue-black spots are 

 normal, which give a peculiar and beautiful harmony of colour- 

 ing to the specimen. On p. 33 of Newman's ' British Moths ' a 

 variety of A. caia is figured, apparently agreeing closely to the 

 above. 



January, 1900. 



[Specimens of V. urticcB with the markings on the primaries 

 somewhat resembling those in the example represented by Mr. 

 Frohawk are figured in Newman's * British Moths,' p. 52, and in 

 the ' Entomologist ' for 1896 (vol. xxix. p. 73) ; while a very 

 similar aberration is depicted in the ' Iris ' for 1890, pi. ii. 

 fig. 6. 



The extremely pretty aberration of V. atalanta from Mr. 

 Sabine's collection very closely resembles an example of the 

 same species from Jersey which was figured in the ' Entomolo- 

 gist' for 1893 (vol. xxvi. p. 27) ; but it still more nearly corre- 

 sponds with a specimen figured in the volume of the 'Iris,' 

 cited above (pi. ii. fig. 3). Neither of the last mentioned, how- 

 ever, have the white spot on the upper surface of the secondaries, 

 and the under surface of each of them is far less variegated. 



A male specimen of A. paphia from Germany in Mr. Leech's 

 collection agrees very closely with the female aberration now 

 figured by Mr. Frohawk. — Ed.] 



r2 



