IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 135 



and elsewhere in Central Europe, in Sardinia, and Corsica, and is one 

 of the rarest French moths " (' Proceedings of the Koyal Irish 

 Academy,' 1884, p. 107). 



a. var. barrettii, Dbdy. This variety was first described by Mr. 

 Doubleday, at p. 124, of the ' Entomologist's Annual ' for 1864. It is 

 also fully re -described and figured in Newman's 'British Moths,' pp. 

 390, 391. There seems to have been a great deal of confusion attend- 

 ing these early specimens, the dark varieties of conspersa, since added 

 in tolerably large numbers to our cabinets, having been discovered 

 about the same time, and frequently mistaken for them. The follow- 

 ing remarks on the occurrence of this variety in Ireland are interesting: 

 " D. barrettii is now considered to be a remarkable variety of D. lute- 

 ago, a species which occurs rarely in Central Europe. One object I 

 proposed to myself this summer (1884) was the further investigation 

 of this group, DiantTicecia. The occurrence of D. barrettii only in one 

 very restricted locality at Howth, while its food-plant flourishes luxu- 

 riantly everywhere on the littoral, seemed a remarkable anomaly. I 

 was successful in taking it on the coast of Waterford, and, I believe, 

 the larvas on the Wicklow shores, but unfortunately an accident killed 

 the pupa3 before they hatched out. I have no doubt that the insect 

 occurs elsewhere, but its habits are such as to render it very difficult 

 to capture. The divergence of this insect from its original 

 type is so great as to lead to the inference that a vast period must have 

 elapsed since its isolation from the parent stock " (W. F. de V. Kane, 

 in the ' Proceedings of the Koyal Irish Academy,' 1884, p. 107). 



p. var. brunneago, Esp. Esper (' Die Schmet. in Abbildungen,' 

 vol iv., pi. 196, fig. 3), represents the type of this variety. This figure 

 may be described as having : " Anterior wings dull yellow, with 

 several (eight) short, dark red costal streaks ; nervures at base dark 

 reddish, with a single arched basal line of the same colour ; directly 

 beyond reniform another transverse waved line, at its centre in con- 

 tact with lower part of reniform ; a narrow streak of dull brownish 

 orange colour along the costa, continued a short distance from the 

 apex down the outer margin ; median space (between two transverse 

 lines mentioned) extending from costa to inner margin, also dull 

 brownish orange ; stigmata dull grey ; a small yellowish patch between 

 and under orbicular and reniform ; outer margin below apical patch 

 dull yellow ; hind margin with a darker line. Hind wings grey, with 

 dark hind margin." His fig. 3, on the same plate, represents a female 

 which has " more orange tint in the ground colour, and two transverse 

 orange bands, one nearer base than orbicular, one just beyond reni- 

 form ; a curved series of arches of the same colour parallel to hind 

 margin. Hind wings grey, distinct lunule and transverse line, hind 

 margin orange." 



y. olbiena, Hb.-Gey. Geyer's figure 829 is considered by Guenee 

 to represent a form of this species. It may be described as : " An- 

 terior wings of a deep orange colour, with an abbreviated and complete 

 double basal transverse line outlined in reddish ; stigmata also out- 

 lined in reddish ; two double transverse lines beyond the reniform, 

 the outer one wavy." Geyer's fig. 830 is the under side of 829. 



8. var. argillacea, Hb. According to Dr. Staudinger, Hiibner's 

 aryillacea is a variety of luteago. This variety, represented by Hub- 



