2 VARIETIES OF 



of the elbowed line. The subterminal line replaced by a series of dark 

 dots. The lower part of the reniform and often the orbicular, filled 

 in with slaty-black. Inferior wings blackish, tinged with red, with 

 the fringe unicolorous red, and a median dark line also tinted with 

 red " (< Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 379). 



The type is thus described by Linnseus : " Ph. Noctna vaccmii 

 spirilinguis, alis ferrugineis obsolete nebulosis puncto strigaque postica 

 septempunctata fuscis." " Alee superiores supra triste ferruginea?, 

 obsolete-nebulosa 1 ; in medio puncto majusculo nigro, postice ante 

 raarginem striga ex punctis 7, minimis, fuscis. Subtus, corpus et ala3 

 ferrugineas striga fusca. Ala? superiores subtus et inferiores supra 

 nigricantes" ('Fauna Suecicas,' 320), whilst Treitschke writes: 

 " Vaccinii is in size not quite so large as tragopogonis. The ground 

 colour of the fore wings is either yellowish rust-brown with darker 

 lines and regular markings (the ordinary forms), or the ground colour 

 is somewhat redder, with the transverse lines bluish (= var. spadicea) 

 or the ground colour may be deep rust-brown with grey transverse 

 lines. A more beautiful var. of the latter has a yellowish-mottled 

 band and reniform outlined in yellow. Still another has the band 

 whitish, the latter is Esper's ligula. The spadicea in Schiffermiiller's 

 collection is also a variety of vaccmii. Esper quite correctly classed 

 (table 82) several of these varieties as belonging to the principal 

 species " (' Die Schmet.' &c., vol. v., pt. 2, p. 403). The dark almost 

 unicolorous polita of Fabricius and Guenee, is identical with the dark 

 reddish-brown Linna3an type with the markings almost obsolete. Of 

 this Guenee writes : " Of an unicolorous ferruginous-red, with the 

 markings almost obsolete and very dark, the stigmata and fringe con- 

 colorous " (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 380). Of the type, Staudinger 

 writes : " Fere unicolor." Of the variation in this species Humphrey 

 and Westwood write: "This is a very variable species, measuring 

 about or rather more than 1J inch in the expanse of the fore wings. 

 These have a shining appearance, giving the greyer parts a bloom. 

 The ground colour of the fore wings is dark red-brown, the apical 

 portion more tinged with orange. Near the base of the wing is a 

 small short transverse grey striga, with another more curved preceding 

 the stigmata, and a third, beyond the outer stigma, much undulated. 

 The chief veins are also greyish. The stigmata are orange with a 

 darker centre, the outer one black behind. Parallel with the apex is 

 a sub-marginal dark striga preceded by a row of small reddish-brown 

 punctures, and the extreme margin is varied with small conical darker 

 patches : the under wings are tawny-grey, with reddish-fulvous cilia. 

 The species varies, however, very greatly in the colours of the fore 

 wings, some being almost uniform reddish-brown, and others much 

 darker. Guided by the great practical knowledge of Mr. H. Doubleday, 

 respecting this tribe of insects (see " Entomologist,' I., p. 262), we have 

 given the " dark chestnut " (' Noct. spadicea, Haw.) and " netted chestnut " 

 (N. polita) as varieties of this species, Mr. Stephens ('Illust. Haust.' 

 Supplement, vol. iv. p. 389) indeed, as well as Boisduval, had 

 entertained the same opinion ; but Mr. Doubleday specifically sepa- 

 rates the subnigra next described. The variety named polita is described 

 by Haworth as very similar to vaccmii, but with the wings browner, 

 with the strigre and veins reticulated with ashy scales, whilst spadicea 



