IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 43 



with pale nervures, a pale outline to the stigmata and a pale dotted 

 subterminal line." These are named obscura, Stdgr. I have never 

 seen any British specimens in any way resembling them. Our speci- 

 mens are distinctly brown, more often ochreous than bright red. I 

 have some Aberdeen specimens particularly red, but not bright, like the 

 specimens just referred to. 



/?. var. brunnea, mihi. The anterior wings of a deep suffused 

 reddish-brown, with the two basal, elbowed and subterminal lines, 

 ochreous, outlined with fuscous ; these transverse lines originate as 

 paired black costal spots ; the nervures are dusted with paler ; the 

 orbicular and reniform also outlined in paler (greyish-ochreous), the 

 claviform indistinct. Hind wings grey with a darker margin. My 

 specimens have come principally from Aberdeen, but I have others 

 from St. Anne's-on-Sea and Sligo. 



y. var. marginata, mihi. I have a striking sub- var of brunnea with 

 the whole of the wing as far as the subterminal line of a deep blackish- 

 fuscous ; with the two basal lines, orbicular, reniform, elbowed and 

 subterminal lines a little paler ; the outer area beyond the subterminal, 

 ochreous. This is a striking form which I received from Aberdeen. 



8. var. sagitta, Hb. " The anterior wings bright ochreous-brown 

 with a reddish tinge ; the distinct, white median nervure giving off 

 two lower white branches beyond the discoidal cell ; the apical 

 nervure and the one parallel to the inner margin also pure white ; an 

 abbreviated, pale, transverse, basal line supports the pale claviform ; 

 while under the base of the median nervure is a short, black, longi- 

 tudinal streak ; the costal area pale ; the stigmata outlined in pale ; 

 the extreme outer margin dark, broken up by the pale nervures ; above 

 the median nervure is a large, dark-brown, wedge-shaped mark, in 

 which is placed the paler reniform and the orbicular extending from 

 before the reniform to the transverse basal line ; the central area 

 (under median nervure) dark brown ; inner margin pale, like the 

 costa. Posterior wings white, with grey outer margin and distinct 

 lunule " (' Sammlung europaischer Schmet.', fig. 596, $ ). This 

 beautiful variety, so long considered by our Continental lepidopterists 

 as a distinct species, is one of the more common forms of the species in 

 the northern parts of Britain. I have some magnificent specimens 

 from Aberdeen and Shetland and it occasionally occurs at Sligo and 

 St. Anne's-on-Sea, although var. ochrea is the common striated form 

 in these localities. Guenee treated it as a distinct species and placed 

 it between A. valligera and A. puta. 



Agrotis, Och., tritici, L. 



If there is any British species more variable than all others, this 

 is probably the species. I felt some difficulty about the way I should 

 deal with Apamea oculea but 1 must own I feel considerably more 

 difficulty with this species. In this, great as are the differences 

 between the different forms, it is entirely in different shades of ground 

 colour, and suppression or special development of markings, that the 

 variation takes place. The ground colour is most extreme, varying 

 from almost pure white to almost pure black. In this species there 

 are two distinct types in the character of the markings : 1. With four 

 transverse striga3, two before and two beyond the three stigmata, 

 which are generally well marked. 2. Also with four transverse strigae 



