IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 65 



beyond the reniform is internally margined with blackish, a greenish 

 grey shade at the base of this black line ; the outer part of the wing 

 beyond this white line is also grey, with the exception of an apical 

 streak and a bright reddish hind margin. Hind wings grey, with a 

 marginal shade, followed by a dark transverse line and lurnile, base 

 reddish." Haworth describes this species under the name of cypriaca, 

 as : " Alis roseis vel subfuscis fusco-strigatis, medio saturatioribus." 

 Hiibner also figures (224) the species under the same name. Haworth's 

 var. /?. would appear to be the same as Esper's duller-coloured type, 

 for he writes : " alis magis fuscis et fere absque tinctura rosea : pos- 

 ticis cinerascentibus lunula media strigisque pone medium fuscis " 

 (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 228, No. 197). I have received this form 

 (type) from Sligo and Aberdeen, have frequently captured it near 

 Strood, and have bred it from Greenwich larvae, although I have none 

 with the greenish* shades mentioned in my description of Esper's 

 figure. I consider the following a summary of the principal phases of 

 variation : 



1. A whitish-grey form, with slight pink tinge = var. grisea. 

 2. A yellowish red form = var. lutea. 



3. A rosy form (the more common one in Kent) = var. cypriaca, Haw. 

 4. A deep red (tinged with purplish) form = var. rubida. 

 5. A dull red form suffused with fuscous = micacea (the type). 

 6. A brown form = var. brunnea. 



I cannot help remarking here the superficial resemblance of this 

 last variety to petasitis. 



a. var. lutea, mihi. The anterior wings of a very pale yellowish- 

 red ground colour, very shiny, the transverse lines also paler than in 

 the type. The hind wings, which are pale yellowish, have faint traces 

 of the lunule and transverse line, but not of the transverse shade 

 noticeable in the darker forms. Some specimens of this form are very 

 small. I have only Greenwich specimens of this variety, but Mr. Euss 

 occasionally takes it at Sligo. 



/?. var. cypriaca, Haw. I am uncertain whether Hiibner 's fig. 

 224, ought to be referred to this variety, which I would have include 

 all the bright red rosy forms from which it has derived its English 

 name " rosy rustic " ; I base this opinion on Haworth's description, 

 " alis roseis, f usco strigatis," but I believe such forms as are represented 

 by Hiibner's figure should be included. These rosy forms are the 

 more general in the South of England, but apparently rare in the 

 North, where the darker and greyer forms are more abundant. 



y. var. rubida, mihi. The anterior wings of a rich red colour, 

 with a tendency to a purplish tinge. The posterior wings strongly 

 marked with a dark lunule, transverse line and shade. I consider this 

 the finest variety of the species, and have never seen specimens except 

 those T have bred from this neighbourhood. 



8. var. brunnea, mihi. An extreme development of var. rubida 

 where the dark red is entirely replaced by a deep, shiny, brown colour. 

 The hind wings are very much suffused with fuscous, the ground 

 colour being of a dull grey ; the lunule, transverse line and shade 



* I believe this is chiefly due to the artist trying to represent the peculiar 

 shiny lustre of this species. 



