442 Extraordinary race of Arctia mendica. 



has been kindly drawn for me by Mr. S. L. Mosley, of 

 Huddersfield, a Fellow of this Society. The males of 

 the 1889 series are, I think, not quite so dark, nor scarcely 

 so strongly marked as those bred in 1888, which in 

 markings correspond with the females exactly; and this 

 is curious, as the females of 1889 are much darker and 

 more strongly marked than those of 1888, as will at once 

 be seen on reference to the Plate. By an unfortunate 

 accident Mr. Crosland lost nearly all the large brood of 

 larvae from his dark moth. He was kee^nng them in an 

 empty aquarium in the garden, and one day rain came 

 on during his absence and almost all of them were 

 drowned. He reared only three moths, all males, but 

 they were darker and more strongly marked than mine, 

 so that it is in the highest degree probable that had he 

 been successful with the brood we should have had still 

 more remarkable results. 



The locality where this most curious race of Arctia 

 mendica occurs is at Grimescar, about a mile north of the 

 town of Huddersfield. It is the only locality where the 

 species is known to occur in the Huddersfield district, 

 and is there confined, so far as we know, to less than a 

 hundred yards of a lane not more than ten or a dozen 

 yards wide. Many years ago I used to get the species 

 lower down in this lane, where it has not been seen of 

 late years ; and, as the area of its habitat is becoming, 

 from no apparent cause, more restricted, the moth is 

 evidently becoming at the same time much blacker. 



Explanation of Plate XIV. 



Figs. 1 to 8. Arctia mendica. ; two males and six females bred 

 in 1888. 

 ,, 9 ,, 18. A. mendica; one male and nine females bred 

 in 1889. 



