72 VARIETIES OF NOCTtLSE 



NOCTU^E, and he only knew of the existence of a few specimens, two of 

 which were taken near Berlin, and the others in Hungary and Russia' " 

 (' Scottish Naturalist,' vol. 1., p. 267). As our two British specimens 

 are so much paler than the type, I propose to call them var. pallida. 



a. var. pallida, mini. The following is Dr. White's description of 

 the Aberdeenshire specimen : " Front wings shining greyish ochreous, 

 more grey beyond the subterminal line, and the nervures faintly marked 

 out in grey. The only markings are the orbicular stigma, the edges of 

 which are pale ochreous but very indistinct ; the claviform stigma also 

 edged with ochreous but almost imperceptible ; the reniform stigmata 

 which are more apparent, outlined with ochreous, and the lower end 

 filled in with pale grey ; the elbowed line, which consists of a row (in 

 some places double) of small blackish spots on the nervures, and a 

 faint ochreous line near the inner margin ; and the subterminal line, 

 which is pale ochreous and serrated, especially in the middle where it 

 is like a W, the serrations looking towards the base are tipped with 

 grey. The hind margin is undulated, and between the tips of the 

 nervures is a grey line : the fringes are ochreous, intersected by a 

 darker line ; the inner margin is narrowly greyish black. The hind 

 wings are ochreous white with the nervures and the hind margin 

 irregularly ochreous grey. The expansion of the wing is about 2j 

 inches." Dr. White then adds : " Herrich-Schaffer (< Schmet. von 

 Europa,' &c.) gives two figures of this species. Fig. 103 is most like 

 the Inverurie specimen ; but differs in being much darker in colour, in 

 having no trace of the claviform and orbicular stigmata, the elbowed 

 line distinctly formed of two rows of dots and no ochreous line on the 

 inner margin, the subterminal line more distinctly marked with grey. 

 The hind wings are much darker, and the expanse of the wings barely 

 2 inches. Fig. 104 is very different, and looks almost like a different 

 species " (' Scottish Naturalist,' vol. i., pp. 267, 268). The Doubleday 

 specimen is so much paler than the type, that I think it may be very 

 well included under this varietal name. 



Xylophasia, St., polyodon, L. (monoglyplia, Hufn.). 



This is another most variable species, ranging from specimens of 

 a pale whitish grey ground colour, through almost every intermediate 

 shade to deep unicolorous brown and black. The melanism on our 

 southern coasts tends more to the production of dark, more or less uni- 

 colourous, brown forms ; that in the North of England, Scotland, and 

 the west coast of Ireland to the production more especially of intense 

 black forms, although occasionally more or less black forms are taken 

 in the south, and beautiful rich brown forms occur in North Britain and 

 on the west coast of Ireland. I would also draw attention to the great 

 variation in the direction, shape and size of the orbicular stigma ; 

 sometimes this is quite linear, sometimes oval, and sometimes round ; 

 sometimes large and sometimes comparatively small. Of this species 

 Mr. Hill, of Derby, writes : " Nearly every season I meet with dark 

 varieties of this insect almost as dark as the Scotch forms, but they are 

 very rare " ( Ent. Mo. Mag.,' vol. xxiii., p. 6). This species seems to 

 vary but little on the Continent, so far as it is at present known, and 

 scarcely any continental authors appear to have figured or described 

 any varieties except Staudinger, who has recently named one intensely 



