A CATALOGUE OF THE LBPIDOPTERA OF IRELAND. 201 



met with the cold greyish fuscous variety (hippophaes, Hb.) so 

 common in England, 



NocTUA PLECTA, L. — Similarly distributed to the preceding. I 

 have met with very richly coloured specimens of the reddish 

 form. One example in my cabinet may be the unimacida of 

 Stdgr., the orbicular stigma being almost entirely obsolete. 



NocTUA c-NiGRUM, L. — Many authors, according to Mr. Tutt, 

 consider this insect as the female form of ditrapezium ; but as I 

 have never met with a specimen of the latter in Ireland, it is 

 convenient to follow the nomenclature of most English writers. 

 This moth is decidedly scarce in Ireland, so far as my experience 

 goes. In most localities it occasionally turns up, but usually 

 singly, though near Derry (C.) and Castle Bellingham {Thorn- 

 hill), Clonbrock (li.E.D.), and in some localities in the south 

 it is not rare. Localities : — King's Co. ; Sligo ; Tyrone ; Mona- 

 ghan ; Armagh ; Westmeath ; Dublin ; Kerry ; Antrim ; Fer- 

 managh. 



NocTUA DITRAPEZIUM, Bkh. — Mr. Birchall records the capture 

 of a pair at sugar, at Kilcornan, Co. Galway, in 1857. 



NocTUA TRIANGULUM, Hufii. — Widely distributed and some- 

 times pretty common, but far scarcer than it usually is in 

 England. The form appears to be the var. intermedia, Tutt 

 (var. sigma, Haw.). 



NocTUA BRUNNEA, Fl). — Widely distributed and often locally 

 plentiful. It varies greatly in colour and markings. I think the 

 purplish brown form is the most common in Ireland, referred by 

 Mr. Tutt to var. liicifera, Esp. Also specimens sometimes occur 

 of a clear brownish red, with markings and an ante-marginal 

 band of a deeper tone, probably var. rufa, Tutt. There are also 

 examples in my collection from Renvyle, Connemara ; Markree 

 Castle, Sligo ; and Drumreaske, Monaghan, of a dark brown with 

 shadings rather obsolete, except the black quadrate character 

 between the stigmata, probably var. nigricans, Homeyer. Loca- 

 lities :— At Derry (C.) ; Belfast (IF.); Favour Eoyal, Tyrone, 

 and Drumreaske, Co. Monaghan, abundant ; at Markree Castle, 

 Sligo, Killynon and Cromlyn {Mrs. B.), Westmeath, Armagh {J.), 

 Clonbrock, Co. Galway {R. E. D.), not very plentiful. I have 

 also taken it in more or less abundance at Howth, and in the 

 counties of Wicklow, Waterford, Kerry, &c. 



NocTUA FESTivA, Hb. — To be found throughout Ireland com- 

 monly. The varieties are very numerous, and grade into each 

 other in a most perplexing manner. Forms with purplish red 

 ground colour such as Hiibner's type are very scarce. I have 

 but a single specimen, which, however, does not conform to any 

 described variety in that it has a red base to the wings. 



Var. congener, Hb. — One specimen from Markree Castle, Sligo, 

 of a dark reddish brown. 



