156 VARIETIES OF NOCTTLB 



central band. My specimens have come from Hereford, Wakefield, 

 Brighton &c. 



J3. var. pallida, mihi. This is the palest form of the species. The 

 anterior wings are unicolorous ochreous-grey, with scarcely a trace of 

 the reddish colour of the type. Transverse lines paler, and stigmata 

 rather darker than the ground colour. My specimens have come 

 chiefly from Hereford. I have a very pale specimen of this form, 

 typical on the left side, but pallid and illmarked on the right, giving 

 it a very strange appearance. 



y. var. rubricosa, Esp. This variety has the anterior wings of the 

 same rosy colour as the type, but the central area is of a much deeper 

 tint, and forms a red band extending from the elbowed line to the 

 basal line, and including the stigmata. Espers diagnosis is as 

 follows : " Alis deflexis grisescentibus, fascia lata rufa et macula 

 reniformiin medio fusca, serieque punctorum marginalium punctorum ;" 

 whilst the figures to which the description refers may be described 

 as : " Anterior wings pale orange-red, with a dark central redder 

 band, the reniform, and basal and elbowed lines outlined with white, 

 subterminal rather darker. Hind wings reddish-grey, transverse 

 shade darker." Esper also adds : ' The ground colour of the fore 

 wings of a pale flesh-colour ; the reniform filled in with brownish, a 

 broad reddish central band " (' Die Schmet. in Abbildungen,' iii., pi. 

 75, figs. 3-4, p. 381). I have some very strongly banded specimens 

 from Hereford and Brighton. 



Dyschorista, Ld., suspecta, Hb. 



This species offers a considerable amount of variation, chiefly 

 however, in the direction of two distinct forms. (1) An unicolorous 

 reddish-brown form. (2) A form with the outer marginal area and 

 inner margin of a much paler ochreous or reddish tint. The Scotch 

 unicolorous specimens are very dark, much darker than those from 

 York, and, although the species is generally distributed over England, 

 it is really abundant in very few localities. Aberdeen and York appear 

 to be its two chief centres. Although the great mass of our specimens 

 may be roughly classed as almost unicolorous or much variegated, 

 there are many minor variations ; thus, specimens occur, purely grey 

 or ochreous, with no tinge of red in them, and very bright red specimens, 

 of the shade of bright leucographa, also occur. This latter (red variety) 

 also, has its variegated form, which, with the outer and inner margins 

 of a bright ochreous, forms perhaps the prettiest variety of the species. 

 Of minor points of variation, some specimens have the stigmata 

 strongly lined in with pale, and hence standing out very distinctly ; 

 others, have them lost in the ground colour. Occasionally a specimen 

 has the space between the stigmata rather darker than the ground 

 colour, reminding one of the quadrate spots in certain species of the 

 genera Noctua, Agrotis etc. ; the upper part of the reniform is fre- 

 quently pale, whilst the lower is dark, and, although the three 

 stigmata are generally traceable, there is frequently a tendency to 

 obsolescence in the orbicular and claviform. There is frequently a 

 row of black dots following the elbowed line, sometimes these are very 

 distinct. Hiibner's type may be described as of a " dull ochreous-brown 

 tint with the two ordinary basal lines ; the distinct stigmata outlined 

 in paler ; the space around and below the reniform rather darker ; 

 the elbowed and subterminal lines paler ; a short dark streak from the 



