122 VARIETIES OK NOCTTUE 



/?. var. ocltrea-virgata, mihi. Like above in ground colour, but 

 with the central shade well-developed, and the area extending from this 

 to the subterminal line filled in with dark reddish, through which passes 

 the paler elbowed line, and in which stands the paler orbicular. Some 

 of these banded forms are very strongly marked. My specimens have 

 come from Farnboro', Chattenden and Shooter's Hill, all Kent locali- 

 ties. A sub-variety of this has only the transverse central shade 

 developed, and then the appearance is most striking. I have specimens 

 from Chattenden and Hampstead. 



y. var. primulce, Esp. Like the above, but with dark quadrate spots. 

 I have specimens from Chattenden, Carlisle, Perth, Moray and Aberdeen. 

 This is the primulce of Esper, which may be thus described : " Anterior 

 wings pale ochreous-yellow, with a distinct, blackish quadrate spot 

 between the stigmata, and another beyond the orbicular, which is con- 

 tinued as a wedge-shaped mark towards the base. There is a distinct 

 transverse basal line and a fuscous shade between the elbowed and 

 subterminal lines " (' Die Schmet. in Abbildnngen ' &c., pi. 136, tig. o). 

 Fig. 6 is rather greyer. Esper's diagnosis is as follows : " Alis 

 griseis, superioribus nebuloso-fasciatis, stigmatibus ordinariis albidis, 

 maculis intermediis rhomboideis nigris." " Keddish-giey, with trans- 

 verse line brown and the stigmata whitish " (I.e., p. 428). 



Besides the above the following are very distinct and worthy of 

 description : 



a. var. grisea, mihi. Anterior wings almost unicolorous dark 

 greyish, slightly glaucous, with slight reddish tint, a most ill-developed 

 or obsolete central shade, orbicular grey, reniform ochreous, slightly 

 darker transverse shade between the elbowed and subterminal 

 lines. My specimens have come from Aberdeen. 



P. var. ccerulea, mihi. The anterior wings of a clear slaty or lilac 

 colour. The stigmata paler, but without quadrate spots. A sub-var. 

 quadrata has the same pale lilac ground colour, but the space between 

 the stigmata filled in with a dark quadrate spot, with another inside 

 the orbicular. I have only seen specimens from Aberdeenshire. 



Noctua, Linn., conflua, Tr. (sub-species). 



The narrow and more pointed forewings of the Shetland speci- 

 mens known by the above name, as well as the difference in tint from 

 any form of f estiva, at once single this out as distinct from the latter 

 species. The line of demarcation between this and f estiva is as clearly 

 definable as that between many other species generally recognised as 

 distinct. Treitschke's description of the type is as follows : " Apamea 

 conflua. A. alis anticis hepaticis, maculis ordinariis pallidioribus, 

 strigis obsoletis confluentibus." " Conflua is not much larger than Ap. 

 strigilis. The fore wings are liver-coloured, marbled more or less with 

 yellowish, or reddish-brown. It is more ochreous on the outer margin 

 and around the paler stigmata. Of the basal transverse line only a 

 blackish dot is visible ; the orbicular is very large and pale, whilst in the 

 position of the end of the claviform is a small black spot. The reniform is 

 large, whilst, between the stigmata and beyond the orbicular, are dark 

 quadrate and triangular marks. Before the paler fringe is a pale wavy 

 transverse line, followed by a dark brown band. The hind wings have a 

 pale ochreous ground colour, with a darker lunule and pale yellowish 

 fringe " (< Die Schmet.' &c., vol. v., Pt. 1, p. 405). Most of the speci- 

 mens of conflua have a deep brownish coloration, some being more ochre- 



