250 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
Scotland, and still more from those of England, but even more 
remarkably do some of the insular varieties differ from each 
other than they do from the type of the species. 
I find it difficult to offer any explanation of this fact, but ‘it 
is possible that the struggle for existence, where so few insect- 
ivorous birds and no bats exist, may not be so sharp compared 
with Great Britain, and the necessity for protective coloration 
being not so great, a wider range of variation in colour may be 
consistent with the safety of the species. 
The islands are very rocky and barren, quite devoid of trees ; 
some of the higher ground is comparatively lofty, one mountain 
reaching the height-of 1500 feet. 
The following species were captured :— 
Pyrameis cardui, the only butterfly. Aplecta occulta. 
Hepialus humuli var. Hethlandica, Sty. Hadena adusta. 
H. velleda. . Anarta melanopa. 
Nemeophila plantaginis. Larentia didymata. 
Xylophasia polyodon. L. cesiata. 
Chareas graminis. Emmelesia albulata. 
Mamestra furva. Kupithecia venosata. 
Agyrotis porphyrea. ii. nanata. 
Triphena pronuba. Coremia munitata. 
Noctua festiva var. conflua. Camptogramma bilineata. 
Pachnobia hyperborea. Melanippe montanata. 
Dianthecia conspersa. M. fluctuata. 
Dasypolia templi. 
Some of these species present little if any differences from the 
normal type, and therefore call for no further remark ; whilst 
others are with difficulty recognised as belonging to any known 
species, and deserve a subspecific name. 
Hepialus humult var. Hethlandica, Stgr.—Of this most 
remarkable insect about one hundred and forty were captured, 
all of which Mr. Meek kindly showed to me; the variety is very 
inconstant, and it has been deemed desirable that a plate of the 
most singular aberrations should be published. The plate 
contains illustrations of nine males and three females. 
Five of the males figured have the dark under wings found 
generally in the female only; four have the under wings more or 
less of the usual silvery colour obtaining in the male sex. One 
undoubted male is coloured almost exactly like a female, the 
