IH THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 121 



was written, considerable numbers of this dark form have been cap- 

 tured in the Rannoch district, although on no occasion has it been 

 found commonly. But Newman only records four specimens, two taken 

 by Mr. H. Doubleday, and one each by Messrs. Stainton and Weaver. 



e. var. gelida, Gn. This variety is described by Guenee as 

 follows : " It is certainly very near to groenlandica, but is much smaller 

 (37 mm). The superior wings are of a pale greyish-blond, with the 

 costa, lines and stigmata, whitish and less covered with black scales. 

 The orbicular is more rounded at least in the $ . The fringes of all 

 four wings are of a yellowish- white. The subterminal line is lost pos- 

 teriorly in the terminal space which is clearer. The $ is of the same 

 shade as the $ , only the lines are bordered a little more conspicuously 

 with black and the reniform is more lengthened. The thorax is mixed 

 with ashy scales." Guenee then adds : " Having only two specimens, 

 I cannot assert that the species is distinct. It ( has, however, a peculiar 

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



. var. poli, Gn. This variety is thus described by Guenee : 

 " Smaller than borea. The superior wings, less square, of a brownish- 

 black mixed with white on the costa, the nervures lightly sprinkled 

 with white, the two stigmata clearly outlined in white, separated by a 

 black patch ; the reniform often of a reddish tint. A series of white 

 dots, very distinct on the nervures, is placed before the subterminal 

 line, which has on it a series of large cuneiform black spots, the 

 lighter part of the subterminal line being almost obsolete. Some black 

 lunules are situated just within the fringe, which is brown marked 

 with fine black lines. Inferior wings of a greyish-black, much clearer 

 at the base " (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 187). 



rj. var. borea, H. S. Herrich-Schaffer figures this variety in his 

 * Systematische Bearbeitung der Schmetterlinge von Europa ' (figs. 566 

 and 567). This figure 566 may be described as : " $ . Not larger 

 than Agrotis tritici, of a dull purplish-brown colour, an abbreviated 

 basal followed by a complete basal line ; the spaces just inside this 

 line and between the bases of the nervures being filled in with black ; 

 orbicular and reniform pale (whitish) ; the black elbowed line comes 

 well over the reniform at costa ; the line parallel to hind margin 

 whitish, with a complete row of black wedge-shaped spots on it ; ner- 

 vures whitish ; hind wings grey with a darger margin, central line and 

 lunule. Figure 567 represents a , which is similar to the $ (567) 

 but duller, and hind wings greyer. This is hardly the borea of 

 Guenee which he describes as : " Superior wings of a brownish-black, 

 more or less mixed with whitish or yellowish on the disc, with all the 

 nervures whitish and very distinct ; the median lines whitish and com- 

 posed of small lunules ; the ordinary stigmata of a yellowish- white 

 separated by black ; fringes of an ochreous- white tint ; hind wings as in 

 groenlandica. Female more uniformly black than the male and having 

 the outer transverse line as distinct as the elbowed line" ('Noctuelles,' 

 vol. v., pp. 186-187). It will be seen by these descriptions that the 

 borea of Herrich-Schaffer and the borea of Guenee represent two rather 

 different forms. 



Pachetra, Gn., leucophcea, View. 



Vieweg, in his ' Tabellarisches Verzeichniss,' &c., p. 23, No. 28, 

 thus describes the type of this species : " Noctua leucophcea alis in- 



