( lxviii ) 



A. Harrison, T. H. Handing, L. W. Newman, L. B. Prout, 

 the Rev. G. H. Raynor, and himself. 



PARENTS. — The parents were selected from moths reared 

 from wild larvae collected at Cluny, Aberdeenshire, by Mr. 

 James Duncan in the spring of 1904. And these, together 

 with the remainder of the moths reared from these larva 1 , 

 were also exhibited. 



From the wild larva? three melanic specimens alone were 

 reared out of about fifty ; these were all males. Among the 

 non-melanic specimens one was of a very dark slate colour, 

 all the remainder being paler, comprising very varied shades 

 from dull grey through ochreous and bright red to a deeper 

 almost chestnut red. 



Only the bright red and melanic forms, and the dark slate- 

 coloured specimen above referred to were used as parents. 

 The red forms, save for the purposes of a very careful 

 classification, are uniform, but the melanic specimens reared 

 include a range from rusty red powdered with black scales to 

 velvety black ; there is, however, a quite definite line of de- 

 marcation between <: red " and " melanic " forms, no doubt as to 

 the correct position of any particular specimen having occurred. 



In contradistinction to Mr. Prout's Forres race (Ent. 

 Record, vol. xv, p. 217 ; vol. xvi, pp. 1-5) there is no trace of 

 melanic suffusion on the hind-wings of any of the specimens 

 of Cluny parentage. 



The first generation took from the time of hatching in July 

 1904 until about the middle of January 1905 to complete 

 their cycle; the second generation, December 1904 to April- 

 May 1905, except those reared by the Rev. G. H. Ray nor, 

 which were allowed to develop more slowly, emerging in July 

 and August 1905. The third generation, and last,* occupying 

 from May to September 1905. 



* Pairings between moths of the third generation were very difficult to 

 obtain, ami when obtained there were usually very few, if any, ova laid 

 by the female. In two of the three instances in which fairly normal 

 numbers were laid only three or four larvae hatched, and these did not 

 survive the first moult. The one exception, a pairing between moths of 

 the B x C stock, resulted in a fair-sized brood of larvaj, but they were 

 all weakly anil died off before their fourth moult. 



In this connection it must be remembered that the BxC stock was 

 less pure than the others as it resulted from a cross between two different 

 stocks in the first generation, whereas all the other stocks arose from a 

 single pair of the moths reared from the wild larva. 



