IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 131 



1. Pale reddish-grey = var. pallida. 



2. Bright red = var. rufa, Haw. 



3. Keddish-brown = rubricosa, Fab. 



3a. Keddish-brown, with slaty costa and transverse lines == var. mista, 



Hb. 



4. Dull purplish, with slaty tinge = var. mucida, Esp. 

 5. Slaty-grey = var. pilicornis, Brahm. 



Guenee writes : " I consider as the type, those individuals which 

 have the grey colour predominating and mixed with violet, and in 

 which the hind wings are dark grey " (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 350). 

 This is an error, as the Fabrician type is not grey, but red-brown. 

 The dark red-brown type reaches as far north as Morpeth. I have 

 also specimens from Droylesden, Hereford and Brentwood (Essex). 

 In the minor points of variation in this species, we notice that the 

 stigmata, although always indistinct, are much better developed in 

 some specimens than others, especially in the case of the orbicular. 

 The transverse lines, too, are frequently obsolete and generally ill- 

 defined, but sometimes stand out in clear grey and become quite con 

 spicuous. This is especially the case in those forms in which the palp 

 colour is developed more than the ground colour. Except in colour, 

 however, it is rare that one gets any striking modification. 



a. var. pallida, mihi. The anterior wings of a pale greyish-red 

 tint, being much whiter in general appearance than the strongly 

 coloured var. rufa. This must be looked upon as a very pale form of 

 var. pilicornis, and is more especially restricted, although not confined, 

 to northern localities. My specimens have come from Killarney, 

 Morpeth, Darlington, Hereford and Ely. 



j3. var. rufa, Haw. The red variety of this species is thus 

 described : " Noctua alis rufis, costa usque ad medium pallidiore, 

 strigis quatuor undulatis stigmatibusque ordinariis obsoletiusculis : 

 posticis fusco-rufescentibus ciliis rufis " (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 

 232). Of this variety Guenee writes : " Smaller, of a clear red, with 

 all the lines well-marked in clear ashy-grey. Inferior wings unicolor- 

 ous, fringe red, as in the type " (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 350). Guenee, 

 it will be seen, has extended Haworth's description considerably. 

 Staudinger simply writes of it : " Al. ant. rufis " (' Catalog,' p. 114). 

 In the south of England, this is one of the most common forms of the 

 species, rare as it is in our northern British localities. In the midland 

 and north-eastern counties of England, the form is comparatively rare. 

 I have a fine series of this form from the south-eastern counties and 

 Hereford. It leads up to the dark reddish-brown type form, which is 

 also abundant in the same districts, and reaches as far north as Mor- 

 peth. There is generally a total absence of distinguishable transverse 

 strigae in this variety, as there is also in the type, owing to the fact 

 that they are essentially unicolorous forms. This is especially noted 

 in Haworth's description, but that of Guenee is very misleading in this 

 respect. 



y. var. mista, Hb. The mista of Hiibner has " the anterior wings 

 of a dark*reddish-brown with a slaty-grey costa. There is a trans- 

 verse slaty-grey basal streak, a faintly-marked orbicular followed by 

 a transverse red shade, and an almost obsolete reniform ; the elbowed 

 and subterminal lines slaty-grey, the outer margin also slaty-grey. 

 Hind wings very dark grey, slightly paler at base " (' Sammlung euro- 



