BOMBYCID.^. 27 



conspicuous, and the insects are of rather remarkable beauty. 

 The female varies in a somewhat similar direction, but 

 without assuming any of the glossy brightness of the male ; 

 the ground colour becoming tinged more or less with reddish- 

 brown, especially so in the basal half of the hind wings. The 

 transverse line is also intensified in colour, and sometimes 

 edged internally with dark brown, and the general dark 

 clouding leaves the pale stripe more distinct. In some 

 individuals, however, in both sexes the pale stripe disappears 

 from the hind wings, leaving the outer half of the wings 

 hardly paler in colour, but more thinly covered with scales 

 than usual ; in other instances the female is almost uni- 

 colorous reddish-brown, and has a very coarse dull colouring, 

 which in rare cases is intensified to deep red-brown. One 

 such, in the collection of Mr. Walker of Liverpool, remained 

 two winters in the pupa state. All the darker forms consti- 

 tute what has been called a distinct species, and named 

 L. callunce, but which has not the slightest claim to specific 

 distinctness. The two forms are structurally identical, and 

 in colouring are united by every possible intermediate grada- 

 tion. Moreover, rich dark males of the pure calhmcc variety, 

 found plentifully in the far west corner of South Wales, are 

 the mates of females of the purest soft yellow-brown southern 

 form. On the other hand, Mr. H. Goss has a female reared 

 from a larva found on the South Coast which closely approxi- 

 mates to the northern specimens, having the basal half of 

 the wings clouded with dark brown, Mr, S. J. Capper has a 

 female specimen wholly of a foxy-red brown, the band and 

 hind margin of the fore wings somewhat paler. Specimens 

 of the same sex in Mr. Sydney Webb's cabinet, reared from 

 larvEe from the moors near Manchester, are semi-transparent 

 from a very considerable failure of scales all over the wings ; 

 and others are entirely dark brown. Males in the same 

 collection have strikingly large epaulets ; and one in that 

 of Dr. Mason has them of extraordinary dimensions. Mr. 

 S. Stevens has a dark male with semi-transparent pale 



