THE CRAMBUS CONTAMINELLUS DISCUSSION. 53 



it. I may mention that in the following communication, for the 

 purpose of distinction, the Deal and Blacklieath species is called 

 C. cantiellus, and the salt-marsh (Sussex and Lancashire) species 

 is called C. contaminellus. 



Mr. Fletcher writes : — " In the box I send about a score of 

 Cramhus contaminellus (salt-marsh), from which 3'ou will learn 

 a part of the range of variation of the species. A part, for some 

 specimens are much more suffused with black scales than any I 

 have sent you. I have one with the whole of the inner half of 

 the wing, except the veins, black, the costal and hind-marginal 

 part being rich light brown. Another specimen is pale wainscot- 

 brown, with a few dark scales dotted about, and without a trace 

 of the transverse lines. It is, however, perfectly distinct from 

 your species. You ask my present opinion as to the nomenclature 

 of the two species ; well, let me first state that I am quite certain 

 that C. cantiellus and C. contaminellus are distinct species. The 

 following are the chief differences that I can see : — 



"1. C. cantiellus is a smaller and more lightly built insect 

 altogether than C. contaminellus. 



" 2. In C. cantiellus the costa is sharply shouldered along the 

 basal third of its length, and then runs more straightly to the 

 apex, which is consequently very sharp ; while in C. contaminellus 

 the costa is almost regularly arcuated from base to apex (the 

 curvature of the wing of the female being greater than in that of 

 the male), the crown of the arch is beyond the middle of the 

 costa, and the apex of the wing not very acute. 



" o. In C. cantiellus the ground colour of the fore wings is of 

 a rather redder shade of brown, and not prone to be suffused with 

 black scales, as in C. contaminellus* 



" 4. In C. cantiellus the oblique transverse lines are very 

 narrow, nearly i^arallel, acutely and irregularly serrated; one of 

 the saw-like teeth of the inner line, about the middle of the wing, 

 is very conspicuous, and in the case of worn specimens, when the 

 rest of the line has nearly disappeared, looks like a central V, 

 with its angle i:»ointing towards the base of the wing. In C. con- 

 taminellus the inner line starts from about the middle of the 

 costa, curves towards the hind margin, runs very obliquely across 



* I am afraid this latter character would not hokl good in long series. To me, 

 cantiellus is much the darker, and nearly black varieties of both species occur. 

 —J. W. T. 



