A CATALOGUE OF THE LEPIDOPTEEA OF IRELAND. 217 



have, however, met with a few mottled Irish examples, but with 

 either a pale reddish fuscous, or a brownish red ground colour. 

 In Ireland it is a distinctly darker insect than the generality of 

 English specimens (as I understand it is also in Scotland) ; 

 generally of a purplish red, with suffused median band, and the 

 striga; and orbicular stigma more or less obsolete, but the reni- 

 form clearly marked. It often very nearly approaches dark 

 forms of xV. hrunnca. A rarer form also occurs, of a unicolorous 

 dark sepia colour, the only marking being a very clear whitish 

 reniform stigma, preceded by a darker blotch representing a 

 vestige of the median band, and in some instances a pale dotted 

 ante-marginal waved line. Some examples of this melanic 

 variety are wholly unicolorous, while others show only a trace 

 of the pale reniform, and others only with its outline repre- 

 sented. I propose to name this dark form var. perfusca. It is 

 not scarce about Favour Eoyal, Tyrone ; and I have met with it 

 at Markree Castle, Sligo ; and in Lord Crofton's demesne near 

 Eoscommon ; and at Clonbrock, Co. Galway, where also occur 

 very mottled specimens. Localities : — Howth and Killarney (B.) ; 

 Buncrana ; " common at Magilligan, and on the shores of L. 

 Swilly " {C.); very dark forms at Carrablagh {G.V.H.), Co. 

 Donegal; Lissadel and Markree, not scarce, Co. Sligo; Ardrahan, 

 Co. Galway ; Saltee I., off the Wexford coast. 



NocTUA RUBi, View. — Plentiful where it occurs, but restricted 

 in distribution. The red form {quadratum, Hb.) is said {cf. 

 ' British Nocture,' Tutt) to be a seasonal dimorphism. I certainly 

 have taken this variety alone at Farnham, Cavan, and elsewhere, 

 and thought it to be a local race ; but my notes are defective as 

 to autumn and summer captures. Common at Belfast (IF.) ; 

 and Drumreaske, Co. Monaghan ; Favour Eoyal, Co. Tyrone ; 

 Farnham, Cavan; Tempo, near Enniskillen (La«f//trt»i). Scarce 

 at Enniskillen {Col. Partridge) and Armagh (J.) ; common at 

 Castle Bellingham, Co. Louth {Thornhill) and Howth ; also 

 occurs at Markree Castle, Sligo ; Dalyston and Clonbrock, Co. 

 Galway ; and Kilcool, Co. Wicklow. 



NocTUA UMBRosA, Hb. — Widely distributed and pretty common. 



NocTUA BAiA. — Very generally distributed, and occurring in 

 more or less abundance in most localities, but scarcer than 

 umhrosa. The colour varies somewhat, from a rich ferruginous 

 brown to a greyer tone. 



(To be continued.) 



