26 VARIETIES OF 



striga being marked with a more distinct lunular patch. Such a variety 

 constitutes the A. solids of Curtis." Mr. South, in his 'Synonymic 

 List,' quotes solids, Curt., as a synonym of rumids, and also directly 

 after (on the same page) quotes it as a variety of menyanthidis. At 

 p. 7 of the ' Substitute ' (1856-57) the late Mr. Nicholas Cooke wrote: 

 " At p. 183 of the < Manual ' I see Mr. Stainton has copied an error 

 from Guenee's great work, which the latter author was led into by 

 Curtis. The larva figured along with the imago of solids in the splendid 

 work of Curtis is the larva of menyanthidis. I have had hundreds of 

 them, but never reared solids from them. Both myself and my friend 

 Mr. Greening have, however, reared solids from the larva of rumicis 

 and are perfectly satisfied that it is nothing more than a dark variety 

 of the latter species." At p. 213, however, Mr. Cooke modified this 

 statement very considerably. He says : " The statement (' The Sub- 

 stitute,' p. 7) brought me a reply from Mr. J. C. Dale, which 

 induced me to send him my specimens for examination, and it turns 

 out that the solids of our northern collections is not the solids of 



Curtis Mr. Dale says with good reason that if solids is a 



variety at all, it is a variety of menyanthidis ; that he was with Curtis 

 at the time he found the larvae from which they were bred ; that he 

 also found three Iarva3, and reared one moth exactly like Curtis's 

 figure of solids. Curtis was more fortunate, and bred several, and one 

 menyanthidis among them, which puzzled him. The larvas were found on 

 sallows in the Trossachs, .... proving Guenee to be right in stating that 

 the figure given by Curtis of the larvas by the side of the imago is 

 sufficient evidence that this solids is only a variety of menyanthidis" 

 Herr A. Hoffmann writes me : " Eumids does not vary with us 

 (Germany). Menyanthidis varies greatly in colour, from a greyish 

 white to dark melanic forms which occur on the moors or at the sea- 

 coast of North Germany (probably your solids, Curt.)." My friend Dr. 

 Chapman, who is a specialist with this genus writes : " It is 30 or 40 

 years since I made up my mind about solids, Curtis. His figures are 

 excellent as usual ; larva of course, menyanthidis, moth rumicis. Both 

 species of larvas are common at the Trossachs and he got them mixed. 

 The rumids figured is the West of Scotland form. I have bred large 

 numbers of menyanthidis from the West of Scotland, and never got a 

 black var., nor, I fancy did, Curtis, but since there is a black var., and 

 no one likes to say Curtis (travelling about at the time) made a mistake, 

 the matter has been allowed to remain doubtful. I take it the black 

 var. of menyanthidis is not like Curtis' figure " (in litt.). After reading 

 these extracts I think most lepidopterists will agree with me in stating 

 that both menyanthidis and rumids have black vars., but in deference to 

 Dr. Chapman's superior knowledge, and in opposition to the opinion 

 expressed' Entom.' xxi.,p. 83, it would appear that solids, Curtis = solids, 

 Sta. and that as an undoubted black var. of menyanthidis has never been 

 described it is advisable to leave the matter open for future investiga- 

 tion. 



The Linnaaan description of the type is as follows : " Alis deflexis 

 cinereis bimaculatis ; litura marginis tenuioris alba. Alas stigma 

 ordinarium annulo et puncto nigro. Macula dein alba medii marginis 

 tenuioris " (' Systema Naturae,' p. 852). It will be seen that the type 



