IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 119 



instance of one genus assuming the character of another, for I can in 

 no respect distinguish generically the two insects under consideration, 

 and yet the caterpillar of C. exults, as described and figured by 

 Milli&re, seems to have little or no resemblance to the caterpillar of an 

 Hadena. Seeing that the name of Crymodes exulis (should it not rather 

 be Crymodes exul) has been introduced into our list, it seems desirable 

 to give figures and a description of authentic continental speci- 

 mens of that insect kindly lent me by Mr. Doubleday, and quote, from 

 Milliere's inestimable works, a description of the caterpillar." In the 

 ' Entomologist,' vol. xvii., pp. 2 3, Mr. J. Jenner Weir, writes of 

 the capture of this species in the Shetland Isles by Mr. McArthur in 

 1883 : " Of this insect, so rare in Britain, few were taken, but they 

 are fine and large, and vary exceedingly ; the yellow markings in 

 some are very well-defined bands ; a reference to the plate, Nos. 5, 6, 

 7, will show this peculiarity better than the most elaborate description. 

 This may be regarded as the most valuable species taken. The Kan- 

 noch form of the insect is also figured (No. 4) for comparison." In 

 the same volume, three different forms of the variegated varieties from 

 Shetland are figured, all more or less with well-defined yellow or 

 ochreous bands and lines (figs. 5, 6 and 7) whilst side by side the dark 

 Rannoch var. assimilis is figured for comparison. I have seen a great 

 number of figures of this species but scarcely two appear to be alike, 

 although roughly they may be classified as those which are practically uni- 

 colorous, those with pale longitudinal markings and those with distinct 

 ochreous transverse markings, but there is such apparent endless 

 variation that an attempt at classification would be useless without a 

 very long series for comparison. 



a. var. gelata, Lef . This variety is also figured and described by 

 Lefebvre. He writes of it: "Hadena gelata. Alis anticis fusco- 

 cinereoque nebulosis, strigis tribus dentatis nigro-fuscis, maculis 

 ordinariis distincte albidis ; posticis fulvo cinereis, margine fuscis 

 ciliis flavidis." He also writes as follows : " Superior wings grey- 

 brown, a clear space in the centre, three dentate transverse lines of a 

 brownish-black, one near the base, the two others a little distant from 

 the outer margin. The last (or third) is bordered exteriorly with 

 light yellowish and between the first and second lines the two ordinary 

 stigmata are very distinctly outlined with white but their inner areas 

 grey. These stigmata are separated by a blackish-brown patch which 

 extends a little below the orbicular. The fringe grey washed with 

 yellowish, is preceded by a row of small black lunules" ('Ann. Ent. Soc. 

 France,' 1836, pp. 393-394). Of this variety G-uenee writes : "It is 

 distinguished readily from the preceding (gelida, exulis and groenlandica) 

 by the transverse lines being strongly marked in black on a ground 

 colour of an uniform tint and almost without pale spaces, and by the 

 line on the inferior wings which, above, limits a sort of terminal band 

 separated from the fringe by a clear space, being more marked. The 

 streaks which are placed on the subterminal line are longer and more 

 pointed. The stigmata are bordered with black, which almost fills up 

 the space between them. The claviform is as black as the rest of the 

 markings" ( Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 186). 



ft. var. groenlandica, Dup. Of this form Guenee writes : 

 " Superior wings well-rounded at the apex, of a greyish-brown tinted 



