IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 55 



Calamia, Hb., lutosa, Hb. 



The type of this species is represented by Hiibner's fig. 232, which 

 may be described as having the anterior wings pale ochreous with 

 whitish nervures, the posterior wings grey with dusky nervures. There 

 are no traces of spots on any of the wings. The type is rare in 

 England, though the varieties are abundant. The variation in colour 

 of this species is very great. It varies from pale ochreous to deep red. 

 Some specimens are much irrorated longitudinally with black scales, 

 taking the form, so common in this and some of the species of the allied 

 genera, of dark longitudinal dashes across the wings. From the type, 

 with no transverse rows of dots, we find every gradation to a complete 

 row extending across both the anterior and posterior wings. The varia- 

 tion in the size of the specimens is remarkable. I have specimens of 

 Wt.p&icomU not larger th&npallens ; I have specimens of vars. cannce and 

 crassicornis larger than my largest arundinis. There is a solitary dot 

 developed in some specimens at the end of the discoidal cell as in 

 Leucania comma var. nigropuncta and Viminia albovenosa var. centripuncta. 

 There is also a considerable amount of variation in the depth of colour 

 and development of the row of dots on the hind wings. Mr. Dobree 

 writes : " It is a common insect in some years near Beverley, both in 

 the type and all the varieties of size and colour, including very hand- 

 some specimens (var. crassicornis) with the three dark longitudinal shades 

 very sharply denned and quite black " (in litt.}. There are two distinct 

 shades in the ground-colour, pale whitish ochreous and reddish 

 ochreous. The following is a rough classification of the varieties in 

 this species : 

 1. Pale whitish-ochreous without dark longitudinal shades, and without 



a transverse row of dots = lutosa (type). 

 2. Pale whitish-ochreous without well-developed longitudinal shades, 



but a complete transverse row of dots = var. pilicornis, Haw. 

 3. Pale whitish-ochreous with strongly developed longitudinal fuscous 



shades, and a transverse row of dots = var. crassicornis, Haw. 

 4. Keddish-ochreous without longitudinal shades, and without trans- 

 verse row of dots = var. rufescens. 

 5. Reddish-ochreous without well-developed longitudinal shades, 



but with transverse row of dots = var. cannce, St. 

 6. Keddish-ochreous with well-developed dark longitudinal shades 



and transverse row of dots = var. vufescenz-sujfusa. 

 a. var. pilicornis, Haw. This name was given by our early 

 British authors to those specimens which had the anterior wings pale 

 greyish-ochreous, and but little irrorated with black or fuscous scales. 

 This variety was first described by Haworth in the ' Trans. Ent. Soc.' 

 (Old series), p. 336, as a distinct species. These paler specimens often 

 have the transverse rows of dots very indistinct, and more nearly ap- 

 proach Hiibner's spotless type. Some specimens of this variety are 

 very small. I have some from East Yorkshire not larger than pollens. 

 Mr. Mason (Clevedon) informs me that this is the most common form in 

 his district. I have specimens also from Wicken and Warrington. 



(3. var. crassicornis, Haw. Treated by our early British lepidop- 

 terists as a distinct species. Haworth's original description is : " Alaa 

 anticae subfulvo alboque venosae, atque cinerascentes ex punctulis 



