IN TUB BRITISH ISLANDS. 21 



" Ph. Noctua spirilinguis cristata, alls ferrugineis margine exteriore 

 inaculis tribus albis, postice puncto nigro." " Alee superiores ferrugineae 

 strigis aliquot obsoletis. Margo lateralis maculis 3 albis: anterioribus 

 minoribus. Puncta 2, nigra, approximata, ad angulum alae inferiorem. 

 Subtus alae pallidiores arcu ferrugineo obsolete, absque puncto " 

 (< Systema Naturae/ xiith., p. 848). Although there is so very little 

 difference in the varieties^, three forms have been described: (1) a 

 pale lilac-red = confinis, H.-S. ; (2) a ferruginous-red = the type ; 

 (3) a dark purplish-red = affinis, Hb. 



a. var. confinis, H.-S. Staudinger says of this variety " multo 

 pallidior " (' Catalog,' p. 115), whilst Guenee describes it as follows: 

 " It is intermediate to affinis and diffinis, of a lilac-grey, with nearly 

 the same markings as affinis, but the white costal spots more enlarged 

 and the elbowed and subterminal lines very close ; the inferior wings 

 and undersides paler." "Turkey" (' Noctuelles,' vol. vi., p. 11). 

 Herrich-Schaffer's own diagnosis is : " Rubenti grisea, maculis tribus 

 costalibus maximis albis " (' Systematische Bearbeitung ' &c., II., p. 224). 

 He then states that it partakes of the character of both diffinis and 

 affinis and compares it with these species. 



ft. var. affinis, Hb. Hiibner figures the bright purplish-red form 

 of diffinis under the name of affinis. His figure has " the anterior 

 wings of a bright purplish-red with a darker costa, and characteristic 

 pale transverse lines distinctly white on the costa " ( Beitrage zur 

 Geschichte " &c., PI. I., fig. E). This is by far the commonest form 

 occurring in Britain. 



Calymnia, Hb., affinis, Linn. 



This species is more variable than either diffinis or pyratina, and 

 although the majority of our British specimens are red, a certain per- 

 centage are either grey or ochreous in colour. There is also a consider- 

 able tendency for the white costal marks at the origin of the transverse 

 lines to become obsolete and thus give the specimens a more unicolorous 

 appearance. The type is thus described by Linnaeus : " Noctua 

 spirilinguis cristata, alis ferrugineis angulo inferiore puncto nigro 

 gemino ; inferioribus nigris." " Alae superiores ferrugineaa striga una 

 alterave pallidiore, quae ad marginem exteriorem albicant. Puncta 2, 

 nigra, approximata, ad angulum alae inferior um. Alae inferiores nigri- 

 cantes margine testaceo " (' Systema Naturae,' xiith., p. 848). Of this 

 species Humphrey and Westwood write : " The fore wings are of a 

 reddish-brown colour, the centre of the wing having a redder hue, 

 but varying considerably in the depth of their tint, as well as in the 

 intensity of their markings, which are very similar to those of C. 

 diffinis, except that the white costal marks are replaced by slender, 

 short flexuous pale lines. The characteristic portion of the wing is 

 also marked with slight indications of the two ordinary stigmata. 

 Close to the apex of the wing are two minute black dots. The hind 

 wings are dark brown, with the base rather paler , and the cilia pale 

 and dirty white " (' British Moths,' p. 267). 



The different vars. of affinis may be thus classified : 

 1. Dark grey, with or without white costal streaks = var. sujf'uaa. 

 2. Ochreous (brownish), with or without white costal streaks = var. 



ochrea. 

 3. Reddish, with or without white costal streaks = affinis, Linn. 



