IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 141 



nagel's diagnosis of the type is " N. trigrammica. Colour of anterior 

 wings pale yellowish-grey, with three transverse brown lines" ('Berl. 

 Magazin,' No. 86). Esper's diagnosis is : " Noctua spirilinguis sub- 

 cristata, alis incumbentibus lutescenti griseis, strigis flexuosis fuscis, 

 quarta baseos vix conspicua." Haworth made no less than four 

 species out of this, two being based on the character of the transverse 

 lines, in which there is considerable variation, both as to intensity, 

 position and direction. It is advisable to note that this species has 

 practically no stigmata, the reniform being rarely traceable, the 

 others, I believe, never. The ochreous (reddish) forms are sometimes 

 very striking. The bilinea of Hiibner, and that of Haworth are very 

 different, but Treitschke's bilinea, is very little different from Haworth's. 

 The trilinea of Guenee (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 235) is intermediate 

 between the grey type and the reddish-ochreous evidens, for he writes 

 of it : " Clear testaceous tinted with reddish on the outer margin." 

 On the next page Guenee writes of the general variation : " All the 

 principal varieties and a crowd of intermediate forms are found in 

 England, and occasionally in Austria and France. They are evidently 

 only modifications of the typical trilinea and can hardly be classed as 

 races, their variation is so inconstant." Taking therefore, the grey 

 form as the type, we have the following varieties : 



a. var. widens, Borg. This is the ochreous variety of the species ; 

 the wings being entirely ochreous instead of grey, but with the ordi- 

 nary transverse lines as in the type. From Esper, 333, we get the 

 following: " N. evidens. Magnitudine N. trapezince grisea, fere 

 flavescens, punctis minutissimis vix conspicuis nigris adspersa, oculis 

 nigris." " Alae anticae incumbentes, supra fasciis quatuor, tenuibus 

 nigris, prima in ipsa basi vix observanda, secunda ante medium ob- 

 liqua tertia in medio recta, quarta pone medium extus curvata. Puncta 

 nulla ordinaria. Subtus fascia unica et punctum nigrum, uti in posti- 

 cis " (' Borgstroem's Insecta Seucica '). 1 would include all unicolorous 

 yellow-ochreous or reddish-ochreous forms under this name. I have 

 taken it freely in most of our Kent woods and on the seacoast at 

 Deal. 



/3. var. approximans, Haw. This scarcely merits mention, as it is 

 reddish-ochreous like the var. evidens with the exception that the 2nd 

 and 3rd transverse lines approach at their lower edges. Haworth's 

 description is : " Noctua (The unequal Treble-lines). Alis rufo- 

 griseis, strigis tribus sesquialtera saturatioribus inaequidistantibus." 

 " Prsecedenti simillirna (trilinea). Differt. Alae anticas minus canse 

 striga abbreviata basi evanescente. Tertia striga oblique approximat 

 usque ad secundam in margine tenuiore. Margo posticus non satura- 

 tior. Alae posticse fuscae ciliis rufescentibus." He also adds: "An 

 varietas feminae praecedentis ? " (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 249, 

 No. 263). This form of variation is frequently found, not only in the 

 ochreous varieties but in the grey type. 



y. var. semifuscans, Haw. This is another reddish variety, with 

 the outer margin of the wing dark reddish-fuscous, and the strigaa 

 more intense. Haworth writes : " Noctua (The clouded Treble-lines). 

 Alis rufo-griseis postice saturatioribus strigis tribus sesquialtera aequi- 

 distantibus fuscis." " Penultima vix diffort nisi in colore, qui pone 

 strigam secundam perfectam usque ad marginem longe saturatior, et 



