2 VARIETIES OF NOCTTL& 



obelisca as sub-species of tritici, a much larger amount of material has 

 greatly altered my opinion, and I now consider them quite distinct. 

 The chief points of variation will therefore be dealt with as each 

 species is described. In the genus Triphcena T. comes and T. fimbria 

 exhibit strong colour variation in the upper wings, whilst in Noctua 

 f estiva, glareosa, dahlii and neglecta also have a wide range, the Shetland 

 forms of the two former species being very striking. 



Rusina, St., tenebrosa, Hb. 



The type of this species is represented by Hiibner's (< Sammlung 

 europaischer Schmet.' &c.) fig. 158, which is a male with "the anterior 

 wings of a rich brown colour with a dark longitudinal shade under 

 the median nervure ; two black basal lines before the reniform, 

 orbicular distinct, reniform pale with a dark shade from its lower edge 

 to the inner margin, followed by a strong, dark median shade. Hind 

 wings dark grey, base paler grey, lunule distinct." Hiibner's fig. 503 

 represents a $ with the " anterior wings of a rich brown ground 

 colour, with an abbreviated, followed by a complete double transverse 

 basal line, the complete basal line is followed by a blackish transverse 

 band through the centre of the wing, and there is a similar band 

 directly beyond the reniform, the outer area is also darker than the 

 ground colour." The phceus of Haworth is a grey form, while his 

 female, which he calls obsoletissima, is also " tinged with grey." There 

 is very considerable sexual variation, the females being much smaller 

 and generally more obscurely marked than the males. Our forms 

 from the Southern counties are typical, occasionally, however, an 

 intensely dark, almost unicolorous, reddish-black specimen occurs, but 

 these dark varieties are more common in Scotland. 



a. var. phceus, Haw. Haworth thus decribes this form : "Thorace 

 alisque griseis, strigis 4 denticulatis, punctisqueduobusbaseosobscuris." 

 " Antennas pectinatse, thorax alasque anticse grisei, punctis 2 baseos 

 oppositis, strigisque 4 undulato-denticulatis asquali spatio remotis 

 fuscescentibus valde obsoletis. Alee posticas fuscescentes" (' Lepidoptera 

 Britannica,' p. 133, No. 94). 



P. var. obscura, mihi. With the ground colour of the anterior 

 wings of a deep unicolorous blackish-brown, without distinct markings 

 except the reniform which is outlined in paler. Occasionally found 

 in the South of England but more frequently in Scotland. 



y. var. ferruginea, Esp. As Guenee says, this " is certainly a form 

 of this species." Esper's Plate 47, fig. 5 ('Die Schmet. in Abbildungen ' 

 &c.)may be described as a $ of a dark ferruginous-brown colour, with 

 a paler narrow band parallel to hind margin, the stigmata indistinct ; 

 a pale spot between the reniform and orbicular ; the inner margin at 

 base and centre paler ; the hind wings dark grey with the base paler 

 and a darker lunule. His fig. 6 is a , of the same size as the male, 

 almost unicolorous, rather duller and less strongly marked than the $ . 



Agrotis, Och. 



The species comprised in this genus have so many differences 

 inter se, that Guenee divided them into thirteen groups. Our British 

 species are scattered over eight of these groups. This genus is 

 probably one of the most difficult that we have among the NOCTUJE so 



