VARIETIES OF NOOTUJK 



reddish lines, almost obsolete, for the basal and elbowed lines, and a very 

 small amount of darker orange shading on the outer edge of the wing 

 beyond the subterminal. This form completes the series, for we now 

 have (1) pale orange, without and with dark bands ; (2) dark orange, 

 without and with dark bands. I have never seen so perfectly yellow 

 a specimen before. Var. virgata is the banded form belonging to this 

 variety. The second was a modification of the Fabrician type, but 

 had faint pinkish bands instead of the usual dark coloration. 



Xanthia, Tr., gilvago. Esp. 



This cannot in Britain be looked upon in any way in the 

 light of a variable species. It would appear to be more variable 

 however on the Continent, for Guenee writes : " It varies very much, 

 less, however, than its congener, ocettaris. This species is distinguished 

 from ocettaris by the superior wings being less pointed at the apex 

 which is neither hollowed out nor subfalcate ; by the tint, more 

 reddish, never grey ; the nervures always concolorous, the lower 

 wings tinged with yellow " &c. (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 395). Guenee 

 further adds : " Gilvago presents a crowd of modifications, but never 

 constant. Sometimes blackish clouds occupy all the median area, at 

 other times, they are reduced to a number of isolated dots " &c. (I.e. 

 p. 396). hi Britain, the form witli the central area very dark and 

 band-like, is perhaps more common than the type in which this area 

 is covered with dots. I have not as yet seen a British specimen of the 

 form without some traces of this band = ~v ax. palleago, Hb. Esper's 

 description of the type is as follows : " Alis superioribus supra flavis, 

 fasciis macularibus, serieque punctorum postica fuscis ; subtus et 

 inferioribus, utrinque albis " (' Die Schmet. in Abbildungen,' p. 672 ; 

 pi. 170, fig. 2). The type therefore is intermediate between var. 

 palleago and var. suffma. 



a. var. palleago, Hb. Guenee very pointedly remarks : " This 

 bears the same relation to (jilvago that var. flavescens does to cerago 

 (fulvago) " (' Noctuelles,' vol. v., p. 395). Hiibner's figure may 

 be described as : " Anterior wings, reddish -yellow inclining 

 to orange, with two double dark abbreviated basal streaks, a 

 faint elbowed line and dotted subterminal ; the stigmata outlined 

 in dark grey. Hind wings pale ochreous " (' Sammlung europ. 

 Schmet.' &c., fig. 44:2). The area between the central shade and 

 subterminal shows no special development as in the type and 

 following var. Guenee writes of palleago : " Of a pale reddish- 

 yellow colour, without blackish clouds and only marked with faint 

 lines a little darker ; stigmata and fringes concolorous. The series 

 of subterminal dots remains, as well as the grey spot which occupies 

 the lower part of the reniform. These are the only distinct markings. 

 The lower wings of a straw-yellow tint " (< Noctuelles,' vol. v. pp. 395- 

 396). Staudinger writes of this form : " Al. ant. unicolor. rufo-flaves- 

 centibiiH " ('Catalog,' p. 118). I have seen no British specimens of 

 this pale variety. 



P. var. sufusa, mihi. The ochreous or slightly orange ground 

 colour of the fore wings, is much suffused with a deep fuscous 

 transverse band, extending from the subterminal line to the central 

 shade, through which passes the pale elbowed line ; the inner margin 



