IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 77 



more asny-grey, varied with red. The larva, though different in colour 

 from that of ashworthti, resembles the latter in having a series of deep 

 black marks along its back, which are, however, arrow-head-shaped 

 instead of square. It feeds on various low plants, such as golden rod 

 and dock, the first named of which is included in the pabulum of 

 ashworthii. It is possible, therefore, that the immediate ancestor of 

 A. ashworthii may have been the European A. candelarum, though ours 

 is now quite a distinct species from the Continental insect. Neither 

 the larva nor the imago of ashworthii, as found in its Welsh mountain 

 home, now shows the slightest inclination to " cast back " to an earlier 

 type, such as candelarum ; and indeed, in the course of a long experi- 

 ence of the insect, the writer has been struck by the very slight 

 tendency to variation exhibited by our species " ('Entom.,' xxiii., pp. 

 7-8). Mr. Dobree then writes : " Mr. W. Gardner is justifiably 

 enthusiastic over the beauty of Agrotis ashworthii (' Entom.,' pp. 5-8), 

 but as to its individuality, it must be confessed that it is generally 

 admitted to be merely an illustration of the melanism, so commonly 

 occurring in Great Britain, of common Continental species, and by no 

 means entitled to rank as a separate species. The typical representative, 

 A. candelarum, Stdgr. (= candelisequa, Hb. 397), is of no rare occurrence 

 throughout Europe." There appears to be a considerable range of 

 variation in the British specimens of var. ashworthii, although Mr. W. 

 Gardner does not seem to have met the varieties. Of this variation, 

 based on the pick of Mr. Gregson's captures, and now in Mr. Sydney 

 Webb's collection, the latter gentleman writes : " A . ashworthii chiefly 

 varies in the greater or less intensity of the dark cloud which crosses 

 the fore wings between the stigmata. Sometimes this is only a narrow 

 line (it then approaches the type), sometimes it swells out at the 

 top so as to embrace both stigmata within its width (Doubleday's 

 ashworthii). The pale ash-coloured wings are, however, more or less 

 covered with dark scales, and in several instances these quite obscure 

 all the markings except the still darker transverse lines, indeed, two 

 would make good companions for Viminia myricce. Mr. Gregson was 

 especially proud of these dark specimens, and they are mentioned in 

 the < Young Naturalist,' September, 1888 " (in litt.). Hiibner's figure, 

 taken by Dr. Staudinger as the type, may be described as : " Anterior 

 wings of a beautiful clear grey, with a slight slaty tinge, with an in- 

 complete, followed by a complete, single, black, basal line, edged 

 internally with paler ; the orbicular and reniform are represented by 

 clear pale grey spots ; a darker grey, central, transverse shade between 

 the stigmata touches the reniform ; a wavy, black, single, elbowed 

 line directly beyond the reniform ; subterminal line grey, outer margin 

 rather paler than ground colour. Hind wings grey (slightly brownish), 

 base paler " (' Sammlung europaischer Schmet.' &c., fig. 397). 



a. var. signata, Stdgr. The name signata is given to Guenee's 

 var. A (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 324). It is described as : " Paler, of 

 a reddish tint on the disc. Transverse lines very strongly marked 

 and much toothed, median shade distinct, as well as the costal spot 

 which precedes the subterminal line." Staudinger's diagnosis is : 

 " Paler, with very distinct, serrated, black strigae " (< Catalog,' p. 82). 

 This therefore is the extreme pale form of the species. 



ft. var. rallesaica, Sta.,=jotunensis, Schoyen. This variety is 

 really marked as in the type, but has the ground colour of var. 



