830 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



(Berce). The light-yellow type therefore occurs for the most 

 part in inland conthiental localities, whilst the melanic var. 

 bitrrettii so far is only known from the coast-line of Great Britain 

 and Ireland, namely, Howth and the coast of Waterford, Port- 

 jack and Onchan Bay, Isle of Man (Gregson, 'Brit. Naturalist,' 

 Feb. 1892), Ilfracombe, Cornwall, and Pembrokeshire. A speci- 

 men from the latter locality, in the cabinet of Mr. Barrett, is 

 small and dark, with very indefinite stigmata and markings. 

 This is the only British example I have seen, but I believe none 

 vary in the direction of the typical coloration. A parallel 

 instance of melanism under similar influences is presented by 

 the neiit species. We are led to the inference that with certain 

 species, and possibly certain genera, a maritime environment is 

 conducive to obscure coloration. Further instances of similar 

 nature will be referred to in due course. The emergence of 

 D. luteago is given by Hoffmann (' Die Schmetterlinge Europas') 

 as May and August. Berce ('Faune Ent. Fr. Lepidopteres') 

 gives May, June, and August. Apparently therefore it has two 

 periods of emergence. Var. harrettii flies from the beginning of 

 June to the close of July, and is usually to be taken flying to the 

 flowers of Silene maritima at dusk, or occasionally settled after 

 dark, probably in the act of oviposition. But it likewise maybe 

 taken by lamp-light, dashing up to the illumination, and as 

 rapidly retreating without resting. The flight is extremely 

 swift, and it requires a keen eye and supple wrist to catch a 

 specimen in full flight, when standing on the face of a steep 

 incline, or peering over the verge of a beetling cliff at night. In 

 the net it rests much more quietly than D. capsophila. My 

 reasons for considering the insect to belong to the genus 

 Dianthoecia are quoted by Mr. Tutt in his ' British Noctuse.' 

 Buckler classed it with the Luperinae, chiefly beeause luteago was 

 relegated to that genus by Guenee, and because they were 

 thought (erroneously, I believe) to be internal feeders. The 

 Dianthcecian characters I rely on are shortly as follows : — 1. Its 

 feeding on species of Silene (root by preference, stems, foliage, 

 and capsules when necessary). 2. The characters of the larvae 

 and date of emergence of the imago, being two months in 

 advance of that of all the French Luperinas except virens and 

 dimictorum, which fly July to August, as against May and June 

 (luteago, Berce). 3. The characteristic protuberance at the tip 

 of the wing-cases of the pupa, which I understand is not present 

 in luperina. 4. The antennae, 'which are slightly ciliated in both 

 sexes, those of the males of lujjerina being much more deeply 

 pectinated than those of D. luteago. 5. The hind wings of both 

 sexes being clouded both in the type and more distinctly in the 

 variety, a characteristic of Dianthoecia as opposed to that of 

 luperina. 6. The presence of the characteristic pale spot near 

 the anal angle of the hind wing, discernible in var. harrettii, 



