90 VARIETIES OF NOCTTLS 



of it, " dilutior, variegata." Hiibner's figure 423 may be described as 

 having " a pale basal patch, with two short black basal streaks, while 

 the transverse basal line is followed by a large blackish patch extend- 

 ing from the costa, not quite to the inner margin, in which is placed 

 the pale orbicular and the inner half of the pale reniform ; the inner 

 margin and space beyond the reniform are pale, with a paler line 

 parallel to the hind margin. Hind wings grey, with base paler." 

 Haworth's remissa is described much in the same way. He writes : 

 " Alis pallide fuscescentibus nebulosis, lineolis duabus basi, arcuque 

 medio, crassissimo nigricantibus." " Prascedenti (oblonga) aflinis costa 

 pallidiore strigaque postica minus dentata, et fere evanescente ; macula 

 oblonga nigra superne alfe fusco adnata et inde stigmata subcinerea 

 arcuatim includente. Posticaa alas fuscescentes." He also adds that 

 there is a form of this variety, " characteribus pallidioribus, at magis 

 distinctis " (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 189, No. 79). Guenee writes 

 of Hiibner's remissa : " Superior wings a little more rounded, having 

 the subterminal space, the two ordinary stigmata, a part of the basal 

 space, the inner margin, and an apical patch of a pale greyish ochreous 

 colour, which contrasts very strongly with the almost black colour of 

 the median space." Guenee only gives " North America " as a locality 

 for this variety, but adds directly after : " I have not seen an example 

 agreeing exactly with Hiibner's figure ; our European specimens agree 

 more or less with the var. A (i.e., var. intermedia), of which this variety 

 is only an extreme form. It is, therefore, very possible that it occurs 

 with us, and very probably the specimen which served as Hiibner's 

 type was not exotic " (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 208). This variety in 

 its extreme form is not common in Britain, but at the same time it is 

 not very rare, and I should most certainly consider Hiibner's type an 

 European one. The greater number of our specimens are referable 

 either to the type, var. rufescens or var. intermedia. 



Apamea, Och., unanimis, Hb. 



This is an almost constant dimorphic species, one of the forms 

 resembling somewhat the reddish variety, rufescens, of gemina, the other 

 having the same ground colour, but having the peculiar claviform 

 HH -like development seen in the var. intermedia of gemina ; but the 

 smaller size of this species, the well-developed, white-outlined reniform, 

 narrower wings, and other minor characters serve at once to distin- 

 guish it ; the dark transverse shade from the costa to the inner 

 margin, extending between the stigmata, and so noticeable in some 

 other genera, is very distinct in some specimens. Why Newman wrote 

 that this species was larger than gemina (' British Moths,' p. 305), I 

 cannot understand, as his description would not lead one to suppose 

 that he was in doubt about the species. I have one very dark specimen 

 labelled " Shoeburyness," and two others from Cambridge, with the 

 central area inclining to a banded character (as \npabulatricula). There 

 is a certain amount of sexual variation, the females being, as a rule, 

 somewhat smaller and darker than the males. Guenee says of this 

 species : " It varies rarely, and is, in this respect, very different to its 

 congeners " ('Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 209). Hiibner's figure 556 (which 

 is a very poor one) represents the type, and is of a dull brownish colour 

 with typical transverse markings. The figure represents a small 



