22 VARIETIES OP NOCTU2E 



a. var. suffusa, milit. The anterior wings differ from those of the 

 type, in being of a dark grey coloration instead of the reddish or red- 

 dish-brown of the type. This dark grey variety has frequently a 

 greenish tinge. Sub- var. obsoleta-suffusa has the ordinary white costal 

 marks, which form the commencement of the transverse lines, obsolete. 



P. var. ocTirea, mini. Anterior wings of a pale ochreous-brown 

 tint, with the stigmata generally very distinctly marked. Sub- var. 

 obsokta-ochrca has the white costal marks merged into the ground 

 colour. 



Catymma, Hb., trapezina, Linn. 



This is the most variable species in the family, the ground colour 

 showing every possible phase in the genetic development of whitish- 

 grey, ochreous, red and purplish-red. Some localities appear to be 

 more prolific in varieties than others. Of the districts in which I 

 have collected, my best vars. have come from the Deal sand-hills, but 

 the finest I ever noticed was a series belonging to Mr. McEae, of 

 Bournemouth, and taken in the New Forest. Of these, one grey 

 specimen had the whole central area between the elbowed and basal 

 lines filled in with black, making a band containing traces of the 

 stigmata. I do not remember seeing such a variety before or since. 

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

 specimens. Some specimens have barely a trace of transverse lines 

 etc., others have distinct fuscous transverse markings, sometimes 

 indeed, shaded so strongly as to obscure the ground colour. The 

 lower part of the reniform generally shows as a conspicuous blackish 

 dot. The central shade also varies much and is sometimes strongly 

 developed as a distinct fascia, whilst in others it is quite obsolete. 

 The Linnasan description of the type is : " Noctua spirilinguis Itevis, 

 alis depressis pallidis fascia latissima saturatiore puncto iiigro 

 niargineque punctate." " Alarum fascia trapeziformis est cum puncto 

 nigro in medio ; margo posticus supra punctorum nigroruni serienotatus " 

 (' Systema Naturae,' x.,p. 510). Of this species Humphrey and Westwood 

 write : " The fore wings are of a pale buff colour, varying to pale 

 reddish-brown. The characteristic portion of the wing is large arid 

 more richly tinted than the remainder. It is bounded towards the 

 base by a nearly straight slender brown line, edged with a pale buff 

 line. This part of the wing bears slight rudiments of the stigmata ; 

 the anterior being indicated by a small dark dot, and the outer one 

 by two placed transversely, and edged with pale margins. They are 

 followed by a strongly curved pale slender striga, beyond which on 

 the costa is a somewhat triangular greyish patch, bounded by a dusky 

 line. This indicates the rudiment of the submarginal striga. Along 

 the apical margin is a row of minute black dots. The hind wings are 

 shining, and variable in colour. They go from brown to reddish, 

 with a dusky margin " (' British Moths,' pp. 207-208). Newman 

 writes : " Their colour is various ; pale grey, bright rust colour and 

 dingy brown are the commoner colours, but there is almost every 

 intermediate shade between them " (< British Moths,' p. 381). 



The following is an attempt to form a rough classification of the 

 varieties of this species : 



1. Whitish or ochrsous grey, with obsolete transverse lines var. 

 pallida. 



