114 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
dark grey, but none are white in this respect.” I have only 
three specimens from Unst, and four from the mainland; the 
former are suffused with brownish grey, and the markings, 
especially the central band, are clearer and brighter than in the 
mainland specimens. 
M. montanata from the Orkney Islands ‘‘are of the normal 
colour, except one very light variety, but none approach the 
variety shetlandica”’ (Weir, Entom. xv. p. 4). 
Specimens from Arran have a very pale brownish central 
fascia and basal patch ; the space between them, and also the 
outer marginal area, is suffused with pale greyish brown. Alto- 
gether, these examples have a very washed-out appearance, and 
agree in this respect with some specimens from N. Devonshire. 
Of specimens from the Outer Hebrides, Mr. Weir wrote, in 
1881 (Entom. xiv. p. 221) :—‘‘ The whole of the ground colour of 
those captured is suffused with grey, and the specimens are far 
below the usual size ; but they do not resemble those from the 
Shetlands in the breaking up of the central band into bandlets.”’ 
I have a short series from Lewis, taken by Mr. McArthur in 
1887. In one of these the central band is as dark and broader 
than in any specimen of montanata in my collection, whilst in 
another example in the series the band is slender, its upper 
portion intersected transversely almost to the middle by the 
ground. In a third specimen the band is represented by an 
oblong blotch from the costa to median nervure, and a thin 
upright streak on inner margin. The hind wings seem to be 
rather more distinctly marked than usual in some of the speci- 
mens. A few of the specimens obtained by Mr. McArthur in the 
year adverted to were silvery white in colour, and there was 
much aberration in the central band, culminating in the almost 
total absence of this marking (see Entom. xxi. p. 27). 
Mr. McArthur tells me that in the Shetlands montanata occurs 
only on the moorlands. He supposes that the larva must feed on 
the heather or grass; probably the latter, as that is a known 
food-plant. In the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, montanata is 
found commonly in the woods about Stornaway Castle, and has 
not been met with often, if at all, in any other part of that island. 
Var. fuscomarginata, Staud., var. a, Guen., is the form in 
which the outer marginal area is broadly suffused with fuscous. 
Var. lapponica, Staud., is smaller and paler than the type; 
the central band nearly obsolete. 
A curious aberration is figured, Entom. xiv. pl. 1, fig.20. All 
the wings are smoky leaden grey; the central band is pale 
obscure grey-brown ; the black discoidal spot is very distinct on 
all the wings, and there is a black mark at the angle of the band 
on fore wings. It was taken by the Rev. H. T. Hutchinson near 
Longfleet, Wilts, in the summer of 1881. 
(To be continued.) 
