10 VARIETIES OF NOCTIL2E 



almost white, to a deep orange tone, and the typical red markings are 

 sometimes entirely absent, and at others, strongly developed with a 

 distinct purplish tinge. There seems to be no very distinct continua- 

 tion in the development of ground colour. The yellow is of two 

 distinct shades with very slight trace of any intermediate form. The 

 orange coloured specimens are very near flavago (silago) and bear a 

 strong superficial resemblance to the species. In markings, however, 

 there is every possible gradation, the only mark sometimes present 

 being the fuscous shading in the lower part of the reniform stigma, 

 the next markings developed appear to be several reddish spots &c., 

 which make in their best developed form the central band between 

 the central shade and subterminal lines. This red band frequently 

 in the most strongly marked specimens becomes yellow. The 

 specimens most absolutely devoid of fed markings are comparatively 

 rare in the South of Britain, but appear to be fairly abundant in some 

 localities in the midland and northern counties. The Linmiean de- 

 scription of the type is as follows : " Noctua fnlvago spirilinguis 

 cristata, alis pallidis : fasciis ferrugineis, palis abdomine alisque subtus 

 fulvescentibus." " Alpe pallide glaucescentes : fascia una alterave 

 ferruginea : postice fascia obsoleta utrinque punctata. Alas inferiores, 

 pallidae. Subtus omnes pallide flavse " (' Fauna Suecicas,' p. 312). 

 The cerago of Fabriciusand Guenee also represent the type. Newman 

 is the only one who describes the form in which the red markings 

 have a purplish tinge, and Hiibner's fig. 190 represents the form, 

 intermediate between var. flavescens and .the type, in which the red 

 markings are indistinct and ill-developed. The following are the 

 principal forms of the species : 



1. Pale yellow, with lower part of reniform forming a dark 



spot = var. flavescens, Esp. 



2. Pale yellow, with indistinct red markings = var. cerago, Hb. 

 3. Pale yellow, with distinct red markings = fulcago, Linn. 

 1. Pale yellow, with purplish-red band = cerago, Newman = var. 



siiffma. 



o. Orange-yellow, with central spot = sub-var. obsoleta. 

 (5. Orange-yellow, with indistinct red markings = var. mperfticta. 

 7. Orange-yellow, with distinct old markings = var. aurantia. 

 8. Orange-yellow, with distinct red band - sub-var. virgata. 



a. var. flavescens, Esp. The pale yellow form of this species in 

 which the markings is reduced to a dark spot filling in the lower part 

 of the reniform, is not uncommon in several parts of Britain and the 

 Continent, and appears to be well distributed with the type. Esper's 

 description is : " Noctua spirilinguis cristata alis superioribus luteis, 

 macula in medio fusca, margine fulvo et serie punctorum nigrorum ; 

 inferioribus utrinque albis immaculatis " (' Die Schmet. in Abbildungen ' 

 &c., p. 322), whilst the figure to which this description applies is of " a 

 pale yellow colour, with the lower part of reniform developed as a 

 central blackish spot ; the subterminal line represented by a row of 

 dots " (I.e. pi. 122, fig. 2). The subterminal row of dots is frequently 

 entirely absent in British specimens of this variety. Guenee writes 

 of this form : " All the reddish clouds have disappeared, and there are 

 only faint traces in yellow of the ordinary transverse lines. The black 



