134 VARIETIES OF NOCTUJE 



whilst only about 2 per cent of the Torres specimens have been so. I do 

 not remember having seen any really pale specimens from Lancashire. 

 All the different species, however, want a great deal of working, and 

 a large amount of material is necessary before more can be done in this 

 direction. 



Tceniocampa, Gn., mnnda, Esp. 



Esper's description of the type of this species is as follows : 

 " Alis cinereis stigmate pallido, punctis nigris marginalibus binis." 

 " The ground colour is pale brown with an ashy-grey tint." Esper's 

 figures, supposed to correspond with this description, may be described 

 as having : " The anterior wings pale ochreous-brown, with the basal 

 line, median shade (touching the inner edge of the reniforrn) and elbowed 

 line fuscous ; a row of six black dots on subterminal line parallel to 

 hind margin ; reniform and orbicular outlined in paler " (' Die Schniet. 

 in Abbildungen,' p. 264, pi. 52, figs. 5 and 6). The ground colour 

 varies from a clear whitish-grey, through dark grey, to reddish-ochreous 

 and red-brown, the extremes being very striking. Both stigmata are 

 occasionally obsolete, but the orbicular is much more frequently 

 obsolete than the reniform, whilst, on the other hand, both are some- 

 times remarkably well-developed, and shaded very distinctly with 

 fuscous. Except in very occasional cases, the lower part of the reni- 

 form is generally shaded with darker. Of the transverse lines, the 

 central shade is most striking. It is frequently obsolete, sometimes of 

 a red tint, which looks striking in the pale grey specimens, at other times 

 it is fuscous. I have specimens in which it is almost as strongly marked 

 as in the banded specimens of incerta (instdbilis). The transverse basal 

 lines are generally absent, occasionally they are both very clearly 

 defined, although it is rare to find the abbreviated basal line so. The 

 elbowed line when well-marked, which is very rarely, is composed of 

 lunules, the subterminal line is pale, and generally has part of a series 

 of dots developed on it. It is rare that these dots are altogether absent, 

 sometimes two (the central) only are developed, the next to appear 

 being those at the costa, then those at the anal angle. The interme- 

 diate ones are very rarely developed, when they are, a complete row 

 is the result. As a rule, the ground colour is very clear, but some 

 specimens sent me by Dr. Chapman are much speckled with darker 

 scales, reminding one of the normal condition in pulverulenta (cruda). 

 The most remarkable development that I have noticed in this species, 

 is that of the peculiar black longitudinal striations in var. striata. The 

 gradual transition from the total absence of the transverse row of dots 

 before the subterminal, to a complete series, is made more interesting 

 from the fact that these dots not only vary thus in number, but also in 

 intensity, and specimens can be selected, in which every gradation 

 from black through reddish-black, to pure red, to faint pinkish, and 

 thence to total absence can be shown. Of the general variation of this 

 species, Humphrey and Westwood write : " The fore wings are of 

 an ashy-grey, varying to pale ferruginous, slightly clouded with darker 

 tints, with the ordinary stigmata and strigse quite or nearly obsolete, 

 the subapical one alone appearing very indistinctly, preceding three 

 pairs of black dots, the middle ones being most distinct, the others 

 being sometimes obsolete, as in the variety named by Ha worth, Noctua 

 bimaculata. Other varieties occur with a dark reddish-brown striga 

 before the anterior stigma, a bent one of brighter colour between the 



