54 VARIETIES OF NOCTILS 



I. Ground colour dull brown. 



a. var. aquilina, God. The aquilina of Godart (PI. 64, figs. 6 and 

 7) is a brownish var. of tritici without a pale costa. It may be 

 described as having " the anterior wings dark smoky-brown without a 

 pale costa, two basal transverse strigse and two beyond the reniform 

 paler ; the orbicular and reniform also paler ; the claviform of the 

 ground colour ; a row of cuneiform dashes parallel to the hind mar- 

 gin." In the text we find : " Superior wings blackish-brown with a 

 more or less reddish tint, with two black, undulated transverse lines 

 bordered with grey, enclosing, besides the two ordinary stigmata, a 

 black oblong ring (claviform), which adheres to the anterior line. 

 Ordinary stigmata whitish, with brown centres. Immediately beyond 

 the posterior black line is a space clearer than the rest of the wing, in 

 which are placed some black wedge-shaped streaks. Following this is 

 a whitish wavy transverse line, which is immediately followed by a 

 paler one parallel to the hind margin. Hind wings whitish with the 

 outer margin darker." He then adds : " There are specimens with the 

 costa sprinkled with greyish-white atoms, but these never form a 

 costal band, distinct from the ground colour as in vitta " (' Histoire 

 naturelle' &c., p. 218). This is a not unusual variety, and I have a re- 

 markably fine series from Deal, some of the specimens being extra- 

 ordinarily large and fine, but it is not at all unusual to take it in other 

 localities where the species is common. It must not be confounded 

 with aquilina, Hb., which is of the same ground colour but with a 

 costal streak. 



/3. var. praticola, Hb. This is a variety with no pale costa, and 

 closely allied to vars. eruta and cuneigera according to Zeller's speci- 

 mens in the British Museum collection, which are browner than eruta, 

 of the same shade as Hiibner's aquilina but without the costal streak 

 of the latter. Praticola, Hb. is given as a variety of obelisca by Guenee. 

 The determination of Zeller is wrong, as may be seen by reference to 

 Hiibner's figure which has a faint costal streak: " The anterior wings 

 are of a brownish-grey colour with a slight reddish tinge, with an ab- 

 breviated, followed by a complete, double, transverse, basal line ; 

 claviform outlined in black, reniform and orbicular outlined in pale 

 with a dark quadrate spot between them ; a pale transverse, elbowed 

 line (beyond reniform) outlined in black (both sides), hind margin 

 clouded with darker. Posterior wings whitish, outer margin dark grey " 

 (' Sammlung europaischer Schmet.,' fig. 567, $ ). 



y. var. fictilis, Hb. This is represented by Hiibner's fig. 479, 

 which may be described as having " the anterior wings reddish-brown 

 with a pale brown costa ; pale stigmata ; a dark space between the 

 stigmata, and another just outside the reniform, dark claviform ; lower 

 part of basal area also darker ; double wavy transverse line and four 

 cuneiform spots between reniform and outer margin. Hind wings 

 pale at base, darker on hind margin with no spots " (' Sammlung 

 europaischer Schmet.' &c.). Geyer's fig. 710 in the same work, repre- 

 sents the same form, but is rather redder, with a red costa and less 

 suffused ; the hind wings white with a dark marginal streak, dark 

 nervures and lunule. It is most certainly a var. of tritici, and better 

 marked than the true aquilina of Hiibner. It is, however, the clearly 

 marked brown form with a costal streak, which passes in England for 



