18 VARIETIES OP NOCTF.S 



white to a yellow that is almost reddish in tint. There is also a 

 tendency for reddish-grey fascia? to be developed both in the basal area 

 (between the two basal lines), and also between the subterminal line 

 and central shade. In some extreme cases, this latter forms a 

 complete band across the wing, extending even along the inner 

 margin. The intermediate form, with the band developed between 

 the subterminal and elbowed lines, is known as the ferruginago of 

 Hiibner, and the extreme banded form as the renago of Ha worth. 

 There is also a considerable amount of variation in the size of the 

 stigmata, but it is very rarely that the reniform and orbicular are united. 

 The type of this species is thus described by Linnaeus : " Noctua oo. 

 Spirilinguis cristata, alis depressis cinerascentibus oo notatis " 

 (' Systema Naturee,' x. 507 ; ' Fauna Suecicae,' p. 303). Guenc'e 

 writes : " Oo varies a little in the depth of the ground colour which is 

 sometimes of a clear yellow as in fig. e of Engramelle, or fig. 3 of 

 Duponchel. At other times, the basal space is entirely invaded by a 

 greenish-grey, which often extends into the subterminal space, but 

 these varieties do not constitute distinct races " (' Noctuelles,' vol. vi., 

 p. 8). Guenee's oo is distinctly the type for he writes : " Superior 

 wings of a yellowish-white with a greenish-grey spot occupying most 

 of the basal area &c." The different forms may be essentially classified 

 as : 



1. Pale yellow, without dark subterminal shade = oo, Linn. 



2. Reddish-yellow, without dark subterminal shade = var. mfecen*. 



3. With a dark transverse shade, between elbowed and subterminal 



lines = var. ferruginago, Hb. 

 4. With a dark transverse shade between subterminal line and 



central shade = var. renago, Haw. 



a. var. rufescens, mihi. Unlike the type this variety is not of a 

 whitish-yellow tint, but has a warmer tone of yellow tending to orange 

 or red. Otherwise it is marked like the type and has only the basal 

 shade. It is without any development of the subterminal shade, except 

 a small costal patch at the top of the subterminal line. The markings 

 and transverse lines, too, instead of being of the greenish-grey (as 

 Guenee terms it) hue of the type, are distinctly of a reddish tinge. 

 This form appears to be as common in England as the paler type. 

 Hiibner's (Geyer) oo, fig. 867, is of this form. 



P. var. ferruginago, Hb. This variety has a dark shade developed 

 between the subterminal and angulated lines, but not, as in the 

 following variety, extending to the central shade. This band is well 

 shown in Hiibner's ' Sammlung europ. Schmet.,' fig. 195. It is also 

 the ferruginago of Haworth whose diagnosis is : " Noctua alis 

 flavicantibus ferrugineo varie fasciatis, strigatis et subreticulatis, 

 stigmatibus tribus flavis, postico cordiforme " (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' 

 p. 238). It appears to me that Eversmann's subflava belongs here. 

 He states that it is like oo and describes it as : " Alse anticse ochracese, 

 fascia lata baseos, striga media fasciaque lata terminali fuscis ; posticre 

 lutescentes " (' Bull. Mosc.,' 1848, No. 3). 



y. var. renago, Haw. This is the extreme form of the species. 

 Here the subterminal band is continued on to the central shade and 

 encloses the reniform, thus making, with the basal shade, the greater 



