IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 35 



y. var. obeliscata, Haw. Haworth's diagnosis of this variety is as 

 follows : " Noctua. Alis rufis macula atra trigona ante, alteraque 

 tetragona inter stigmata pallida." " Statura exacte penultimae at fere 

 absque strigis. Stigma teliforme nigro cinctum est, et ad basin alee 

 fere excurrit. Margo posticus undulatim paulo saturatior. Alae 

 posticse albido-flavicantes fimbria angustiore ciliisque rufescentibus " 

 (' Lepidoptera Britannica, p. 222). This is a pretty form with the 

 space between the renif orm and orbicular, and also directly beyond the 

 orbicular, much darker than the general ground tint. There is no doubt 

 that this development led to its being named obeliscata, this dark mark- 

 ing being then supposed to be specially characteristic of the allied 

 species, obelisca. It is not at all a common form in the localities in 

 Kent where the species occurs, and I have only taken a few specimens 

 each year. The strigas vary very much, from pale greyish or yellowish 

 to blackish. It is interesting to note that Mr. Bentley (' Entom.,' vol. 

 i.) says : " Anterior wings red-brown, with a long black spot, inter- 

 rupted by the anterior stigma and based upon the posterior. I ob- 

 tained this specimen from the cabinet of the late Mr. Haworth as his 

 type of obeliscata." All my specimens of this variety have come from 

 Kent. There is a parallel variety with the same dark patch between 

 the stigmata, but having the ground colour very much darker (var. 

 quadratd). 



8. var. striata, mihi. The anterior wings of a reddish colour, with 

 the basal area yellow-ochreous to the basal line ; the orbicular almost 

 unicolorous with the ground colour ; the claviform distinctly ochreous, 

 outlined with a fine black line ; the reniform also distinctly ochreous, 

 especially the outer part ; the elbowed line ochreous, the subterminal 

 line consisting of ochreous dots ; the space between these last two lines 

 strongly sprinkled with ochreous along the nervures and thus giving 

 the variety a streaked appearance, the striations extending to the outer 

 margin. The posterior wings grey with a darker margin. The 

 variety vilis, appears to be somewhat similar to this, but much darker 

 and without the pale longitudinal striations, whilst marshallana would 

 appear to be (according to Humphrey and Westwood's figure) closely 

 allied to the latter. 



e. var. rufo-variegata, mihi. A pretty mottled form, with red 

 ground colour and ochreous markings. The anterior wings pale red- 

 dish with the basal area much mottled with ochreous ; the transverse 

 basal line ochreous, edged externally with black, the three stigmata 

 also ochreous, edged with darker ; the elbowed and subterminal lines 

 composed of ochreous dots, the space between these being striated 

 longitudinally with ochreous along the nervures. Posterior wings pale 

 grey with darker margin. My specimens have come from Deal and 

 from Freshwater (I. of W.). 



C. Ground colour dark reddish-brown. 



a. var. rubricans, Esp. Esper's diagnosis of this variety is as 

 follows : " Alis superioribus fusco-rubricantibus, stigmatibus striisque 

 marginis exterioris pallidis obliteratis " (' Die Schmet. in Abbildungen ' 

 &c., p. 395). This is followed by a reference to Borkhausen, iv., 468, 

 No. 186 : " Ph. Noctua rubricans. Ked-brown with yellow markings." 

 The figure, Plate 130, fig. 2, is very bad. Guenee writes of this 

 variety : " Of a reddish-brown often dusted with yellowish, with the 



D2 



