IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 81 



Naturae,' p. 853, No. 169, as : " Noctua spirilinguis cristata, alls glau- 

 cescentibus ; fascia ferruginea abbreviata terminalique plicata." " Dor- 

 sum pluribus exasperatum. Alarum color hepaticus : fascia ferruginea 

 vix latus interius appropinquante." Guenee, in his ' Noctuelles,' vol. 

 v., p. 144, says : " Linnasus has badly described it as 'wings glaucous ; ' 

 and Clerck has figured it with bluish wings, which made Hiibner be- 

 lieve that it was tincta." Hiibner figures Aplecta tincta under the name 

 hepatica. I am inclined to think that Guenee, who was undoubtedly 

 not well up in the varieties of this group, did Linnseus an injustice. 

 My own impression is, that the Linnaaan type was a glaucous one, and 

 that our forms are different to the Linnaaan type. There is a constant 

 glaucous variety of rurea (closely allied to the type). I have a glaucous 

 variety of scolopacina. Why should there not be a glaucous form of 

 hepatica ? It must be noticed that in the ' Lepidoptera Britannica,' 

 p. 169, Haworth copies the Linnaean description of hepatica, which he 

 applies afterwards apparently to rurea. It must be confessed there is 

 considerable doubt about the types of this species and rurea. The 

 British specimens appear to be of two distinct forms, one clear dull 

 brown, with typical markings, as in Newman's ' British Moths,' p. 

 285, but with no transverse markings, var. epomidion, Haw., the other 

 of a redder colour, and much marbled with transverse ochreous 

 markings. This latter marbled form is the characterea of Hiibner. 



a. var. characterea, Hb. Hiibner's fig. 133 may be described as 

 having the anterior wings brown, with a reddish tinge, with the or- 

 dinary dark markings, but a number of transverse lines, ochreous 

 outlined with black, gives the variety a very mottled appearance. 

 The darker ground colour shows up very distinctly between the pale 

 line near the hind margin, and the pale line just beyond the reniform. 

 I believe this variety occurs in most British localities. I have taken 

 it in various localities in Kent, and have received it from the neighbour- 

 hood of Barnsley (Yorkshire), the New Forest, &o. 



/3. var. epomidion, Haw. This is the ordinary form which we get, 

 " brown, without the ochreous transverse markings which occur in 

 characterea." Haworth, in his * Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 170, thus 

 describes it : " Alis griseo fuscoque variis strigis tribus pallidioribus 

 obsoletis dentatis." " Lineola basi anticarum alarum ssepe geminata ; 

 striga antica undulata (subinde omnino obliterate), altera pone medium 

 denticulata extus arcuata, et subinde quasi geminata ; tertiaque juxta 

 marginem posticum alte et irregulariter dentata, et nebulis fuscis 

 adnata. Margo ipse posticus fusco punctatus. Alas posticse ut in 

 praecedentibus (rurea)." 



Xylophasia, St., scolopacina, Esp. 



The type is represented by Esper's fig. 1, plate 130. The figure 

 is bad, but certainly recognisable as this species. The following is the 

 description I made of it : " Anterior wings dark ochreous, with a de- 

 cided brown tinge, a dark dash at the base of the inner margin. A 

 dark red basal streak, paler (ochreous) orbicular, and reniform dark- 

 centred ; a dark line from costa to inner margin between stigmata ; a 

 reddish lunule on the inner edge of the reniform ; a number of dark longi- 

 tudinal streaks outside the reniform, and a pale wavy line parallel to the 

 hind margin. Hind wings brownish, with a reddish tinge, upper mar- 



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