IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 39 



grey, or only outlined in paler (var. fuliginea}. These very dark 

 forms are rare in our more southern localities in the South of England. 



P. var. fumosa, Haw. Haworth's diagnosis of this variety is as 

 follows : " Noctua. Alis nigricantibus, nigro pallidoque varie strigatis, 

 stigmatibus duobus ordinariis flavo cinctis " (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' 

 p. 221). Fumosa is a name given to almost every variety of nigricans, 

 by those who are ignorant of the original descriptions, and it is really 

 a very safe name to use, for, whilst fumosa, God. is a fuscous variety, 

 fumosa, Haw. and fumosa, Fab. are black varieties. Haworth's black 

 variety is well distributed, and a large percentage of our black forms 

 would have to be referred to this varietal name. 



y. var. fumosa, Fab. The diagnosis of Fabricius is as follows : 

 "Noctua. Cristata alis deflexis nigricantibus : striga postica punctorum 

 alborum." " Nimis N. nigricans affinis. Differt tantum striga postica 

 punctorum cuspidatorum, alborum. Corpus totum nigricans " (< Ento- 

 mologia systematica ' &c., p. 115). The chief characteristic of the 

 fumosa of Fabricius is the row of white dots near the outer margin, 

 thus resembling, in some degree, var. ursina. The form is most 

 unusual. 



8. var. fuliginea, God. Of this variety Godart writes : " This 

 Noctuelle, as its name indicates, has the superior wings entirely of a 

 smoky-black or soot-colour in the male, with the two ordinary stigmata 

 very small and scarcely visible although outlined in paler. Looking 

 carefully, one sees a spot near the orbicular and some traces of a broken 

 smoky-ferruginous band near the outer margin. The lower wings are 

 of a shiny whitish colour, with the lunule and the nervures blackish 

 and the marginal edge shaded with bistre. The wings of the female 

 are less dark than those of the male, and a little reddish ; they have also 

 traces of a row of dots which are absent in the male ; the stigmata are 

 larger and better marked, and the inferior wings are greyish instead 

 of shiny white " (' Histoire naturelle ' &c., p 90). He also figures this 

 var., Plate 78, fig. 5 ( $ ), fig. 6 ( ? ). Of these I wrote : " Varieties of 

 A. nigricans of a sooty colour, with only faint traces of transverse lines, 

 the latter clearer on the outer margin." This most unicolorous of 

 all the dark varieties of nigricans is not uncommon in Scotland, 

 although rare in the south of England. I believe, too, that a large 

 percentage of the Lancashire varieties belong to this and to var. 

 fumosa, Haw. 



Agrotis, Och., cursoria, Hufn. 



This is a most interesting species but exceedingly difficult to deal 

 with, owing to its being so closely allied to A. tritici. The ground 

 colour of this species, however, is nearly always more or less ochreous, 

 and, although occasionally strongly tinged with grey, is but rarely 

 entirely of that colour. It is, however, in certain localities very prone 

 to an increase in depth of coloration, and specimens from Aberdeen 

 are occasionally quite ruddy in colour (I have seen Continental 

 specimens entirely red), while other specimens, again, are much 

 suffused with black scales, but the ochreous colour is generally traceable 

 even in the most suffused specimens. As in tritici, there are two 

 distinct types, one, with transverse lines and stigmata only, the other, 

 with these lines and stigmata, but, in addition, with a pale costa. The 

 pale-costa variety is comparatively rare compared with the ordinary 



