106 VARIETIES OF NOCTTL32 



have it nearly so. The central shade is variable in intensity and 

 slightly so in position, sometimes passing between the orbicular and 

 reniform. The red form, which we take as the type, is very variable 

 in intensity, sometimes inclining to grey, at others, being quite ferru- 

 ginous in tint. 



a. var. pvrpurea, mihi. This variety has the red tinted with a 

 beautiful purplish or plum-colour, and not of the ferruginous shade as 

 in the type, and hence has a much richer appearance than any of the 

 other forms, and reminds one of the lovely violet or purple tinge seen 

 on some specimens of N. brunnea. The form is very rare. I have 

 only three specimens, one from Perth, another from Warrington, and 

 a third, which I captured at Freshwater. In one of these specimens 

 (from Perth), the tiny pale costal streaks, just before the black apical 

 streak, unite and become developed into a narrow longitudinal line of 

 a pure white colour, running along the costa from just above the reni- 

 form to the black apical streak, reminding one of Hydrcecia nictitans 

 var. albicosta, but in this specimen of baia, the white line is only de- 

 veloped on the right side, the pale costal marks being quite normal on 

 the left. 



/3. var. grisea, mihi. The anterior wings of this variety are of a 

 pale greyish-fuscous colour, sometimes with a slight ochreous tinge. 

 The stigmata, transverse lines, central fascia, &c. vary as in the type. 

 It is a comparatively rare form, but I have specimens from Freshwater, 

 Chattenden, Morpeth, Wicken and Deal. 



y. var. ccerulescens, mihi. This variety has the ground colour of 

 the type, with a distinct slaty tinge, which is very noticeable and 

 striking in the basal and costal areas. This form of variation is very rare ; 

 my specimens have come from Perth, Chattenden, Deal and Wicken. 



Noctua, Linn., sobrina, Gn. 



This species is generally given as named by Guenee. Guene'e him- 

 self gives " Boisduval (in hit.)" as the nomenclator. Staudinger quotes 

 Guenee (' Ann. Soc. France,' 1841, p. 239) as the reference for Guenee's 

 naming the species, but this is only a catalogue or list name. In the 

 ' Noctuelles,' pp. 335-336, Guenee only describes the larva, and it is 

 only by his comparison in the description of var. gruneri that we find 

 that the type is a form with " red upper wings." Our British speci- 

 mens, so far as I know, are represented by two distinct forms, one, 

 dull reddish-grey with indistinct markings, from the Bannoch district, 

 the other, from Perth, much more rosy on the outer margin (beyond 

 the elbowed line) and centre of the wing, but with the basal half to 

 the median transverse shade covered with whitish scales and powdered 

 with similar scales all along the nervures, giving the insect a regular 

 slaty appearance. This latter form would appear to be the var. mista 

 of Freyer, as the outer area is much too red for var. gruneri. Strange 

 to say, the males and females of the Eannoch form are of one size, the 

 females of the Perth form are usually much smaller than the males. 



a. var. gruneri, Gn. Guenee gave this name to a variety from the 

 Eastern Pyrenees, and described it as : " Larger. The reddish colour 

 of the superior wings replaced by ashy-white, tinted slightly with rosy. 

 Inferior wings paler " (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 336). It is the sobrina 

 of Duponchel, but the lapponica of Freyer, given by Staudinger as a 

 synomym, appears to me to be N. castanea. Staudinger says of gruneri : 

 " Major, grisescens " (' Catalog,' p. 80). This appears to lead up to 



