IN TTTE BRITISH ISLANDS. 3 



is described by Haworth as having the fore wings of a nearly uniform 

 subcastaneous colour, very slightly clouded with brown, the costa near 

 the tip with a few small whitish dots. The true spadicea is, however, 

 as I believe, identical with the following species (snlmigra). (See 

 Guene'e in 'Ann. Soc. Erit. de France,' for 1841, p. 243)" ('British 

 Moths/ pp. 148-149). 



The following is an attempt to tabulate the principal forms : 

 1. Yellow-ochreons, with reddish transverse lines = var. ochrea. 

 2. Yellow-ochreous, marbled with red and pale nervures = var. 



variegata. 



3. Bright reddish or chestnut, almost unicolorous = var. rufa. 

 4. Reddish or chestnut, with dark transverse lines = var. spadicea, 



Hb. 

 5. Reddish, with paler subterminal area, and pale nervures = var. 



mixta, Stdgr. 



6. Dark reddish, almost unicolorous = var. vaccinii, Linn. 

 7. Blackish-red, almost unicolorous var. unicolor. 

 8. Base and central area blackish-grey, extreme outer margin = var. 



snffusa. 

 9. Whole area blackish-grey, with pale nervures = var. obscura. 



a. var. ochrea, mini. This is the most ochreous variety of the 

 species. It is the var. C of Guenee, who writes : " The wings are 

 entirely yellow, with only the transverse lines and outer margin 

 reddish. Stigmata concolorous with the rest of the wing " (' Noc- 

 tuelles,' vol. v., p. 380). 



P. var. variegata, mihi. This variety differs from the former in 

 being more marbled with reddish and having the nervures paler than 

 the ground colour. Guenee's var. D belongs here. This is described 

 as : " Smaller, of a bright yellow, marbled irregularly, especially in 

 the centre of the wing, with dark ferruginoiis, in which many of the 

 markings are lost. The inferior wings much paler, with the costa and 

 the fringe ochreous " (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 380). 



y. var. rufa. mihi. This is of the same bright reddish ground 

 colour as vars. spadicea and mixta, but with the markings almost 

 entirely obsolete. It is a comparatively common variety, and 

 frequently supposed to be ligula. 



8. var. spadicea, Hb. This is the red form with distinctly darker 

 transverse lines. Hiibner's fig. 179 may be described as : "Anterior 

 wings bright red with two dark double basal lines ; the stigmata 

 outlined in paler with the lower half of the reniform dark ; a costal 

 streak passes from the costa to the reniform, being continued to the 

 inner margin as a wavy line. The elbowed line beyond the reniform 

 is blackish, a series of short lineolar dots on hind margin. Posterior 

 wings, dark grey, with a pale base " (' Sammlung europ. Schmet.' &c., 

 fig. 179). Of this var. Dr. Staudinger writes: "Al. ant. plus 

 minusve nigro-fasciatis " (' Catalog,' p. 118). The transverse lines 

 are as frequently dark fuscous or blackish-brown as black. 



e. var. mixta, Stdgr. This more variegated variety, which is the 

 vaccinii of Hiibner, is named by Staudinger from Esper's * Die Schmet. 

 in Abbil.' &c., pi. 161, fig. 5. Staudinger describes it as : " Al. ant. 

 exterius (et in medio) dilutius fasciatis " (' Catalog,' p. 118). Esper's 



