ARCTIA GALA. 59 
lobed, appears to be the accepted type of Kirby. Morris, 
Newman, and Wood figure this blotch with two lobes, . Stainton 
does not figure the moth. Which, then, is the type or com- 
monest form of the insect? Is it the tri-loded, the bi-lobed, or 
the mono-lobed 2? In both wild and bred examples I have found 
the three forms to occur, in abundance, according to the order I 
place them; and, in large series, an arrangement on this 
principle appears to be very satisfactory. It would be interest- 
ing if entomologists from different localities would record in the 
columns of the ‘Entomologist’ the results of their observation 
on these three commoner forms. For instance, I find out 
of twelve specimens (six males and six females) in a local collec- 
tion before me, eleven have the mid-costal blotch tri-lobed, while, 
in the remaining example (a female) the blotch is bi-lobed. 
I also find, as a rule, that where this blotch is three-lobed, the 
specimens are light in coloration ; that is, there is a greater area of 
cream-colour and less of the black; that the two-lobed speci- 
mens are darker; and that, where the blotch is a single lobe, or 
filled up as it were, the specimens are darkest of all, the cream- 
colour being all but obliterated, and the black spots on the lower 
wings so completely joined as to form two irregular, parallel 
bars. In this form of the insect, the spot near the anterior 
margin is often joined to the second bar. To these three 
recurring forms there will be, of course, occasional “ varieties ” 
and from the same batch of eggs; but the only example I 
recollect, is one in which the mid-costal blotch on the right wing is 
two-lobed (a female), while that on the left wing is three-lobed. 
In June and July, 1890, I collected a number of larve in the 
Chester district which were nearly full-fed. ‘These appeared as 
perfect insects about the middle of July. A few had the mid- 
costal blotch bi-lobed, but the majority were what I am disposed 
to regard as the type, or tri-lobed. These I will designate the 
First brood. After selecting a pair of fine, typical specimens, I 
obtained eggs July 18th. The eggs hatched August 4th, giving 
me a Second brood. ‘This second brood began to appear as 
imagines, Sept. 2lst, from which I obtained a Third brood 
of caterpillars on the 2nd of October. Generally speaking, I 
shall note the fortunes, or misfortunes, of the second and third 
broods separately, using the letter B as a reference to both 
broods. I kept the larve in flower-pots, placed on a warm 
kitchen shelf, with plenty of light from an adjacent window, and 
used dock and stinging nettle, as long as they were obtainable, as 
food. 
Second brood.—Aug. 4th: hatched. Aug. 29th: cold, rainy, 
moonlight, since the 20th; eleven nearly fit for pupating; the 
rest nearly all moulting for the second time. Sept. 5th: five 
larvee began to spin up; the backward ones have just moulted for 
the second time; about a dozen are in their third skins and 
