22 VARIETIES OF NOCTU^J 



Stephens undoubtedly considered the variety of psi he described it to 

 be. This proved not to be so. Stephens' name therefore has been 

 retained as the varietal name to psi. His description is : " Very 

 similar to the last (A. tridens), but rather larger, cinereous, with a 

 black lateral thoracic line ; anterior wings greyish white, a little tinted 

 with luteous, with a strongly ramose black lineola at the base, and a 

 powerful black undulated posterior striga, in which are two black 

 ^-like marks ; the stigmata are nearly as in the last (tridens), and the 

 cilia whitish ash, spotted with black ; posterior wings whitish, with a 

 dusky central lunule ; a transverse striga beyond the middle and pos- 

 terior fimbria." I have specimens in my cabinet labelled Chattenden, 

 July, 1885 and 1886, which answer exactly Stephens' description ; also 

 one taken on the Shooter's Hill Eoadin July, 1886. The specimens are 

 all large and characteristic. This var. may have to be referred to tridens. 



. var. bidens, Chapman. Dr. Chapman has suggested the name 

 bidens for a remarkable local race which he has bred. The ground 

 colour is ashy grey, and the black longitudinal basal line reaching the 

 first of the streaks that make up the double transverse basal line 

 divides into two branches, without passing through the second streak 

 as it does in normal psi, thus resembling A. menyanthidis ; the costal 

 shade which passes between the stigmata starts from the upper edge 

 of the transverse basal line, the elbowed line has two distinct angula- 

 tions, and, outside is shaded with a transverse band rather darker than 

 the ground colour, giving it a banded appearance ; the fine longitudinal 

 line starting from the third (from apex) dark fringe marking, reaches, 

 but does not pass through the angulated line (as it does in psi and 

 tridens} ; the i/'-like mark in one specimen does not have the central 

 stem extending beyond the curved part, in the others it extends 

 through, but less than in either psi or tridens. Hind wings of the 

 males white with dark nervures ; in the females grey with a darker 

 transverse line and lunule. Dr. Chapman writes of this variety : 

 " They are pale and unicolorous and remarkable from the basal dagger 

 having only two wings (whence var. bidens} and the outer line passing 

 straight to costa instead of sloping towards base in both respects 

 resembling menyanthidis. Male bidens also has pale underwings, in 

 some as pale as tridens. The larva is psi except that the lower pale 

 lateral band is darker " (in litt. '88). 



r). var. rosea, mihi. The whole of the anterior wings suffused 

 with rose~ colour. This is a much less common form of variation in 

 this species than in tridens. 



6. Guenee describes two varieties, his var. A as : " Superior 

 wings whiter, less powdered with black and without a violet tinge, 

 with all the black streaks more strongly marked. The angulated line 

 of a deep black throughout its length. Inferior wings generally paler." 

 His var. B is described as : " Superior wings a little squarer, clearer, 

 less powdered with dark scales. The inferior wings of a blackish 

 grey, almost unicolorous in both sexes. From North America " 

 (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 43). 



Acronycta, Och. (Viminia, Chapman), auricotna, Fab. 



The type of this species is thus described by Fabricius : " Noctua 

 auricoma (by error auricorna) cristata alis deflexis : anticis cinereo 



