IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 2!) 



ground colour varies from white and very pale ochreous to deep 

 brown, and the markings from complete obsolesence, except the 

 outlines to the three stigmata, through every grade until we have the 

 transverse lines dark fuscous, and the whole wing area bearing a very 

 mottled appearance. The purest white ground colour I have ever 

 seen in this species, is in a specimen given me by Mr. Austin of 

 Folkestone, and I have seen similar ones in other collections. Mr. 

 J. Henderson writes : I have a very white form from Box Hill 

 and dark brown forms from Durham " (in Hit.). Newman says : 

 "The colour of the fore wings varies, in some specimens pale 

 ochreous-brown, often approaching to white, in others dark bistre- 

 brown ; in all, the discoidal spots are conspicuous and well defined ; 

 in one specimen in my possession there is a very obvious median 

 darker band, and this contains the two discoidal spots ; parallel with 

 the hind margin is a zigzag pale line, adjoining which and pointing 

 towards the base of the wing are two or three wedge-shaped dark 

 brown spots : the hind wings are pale dingy brown at the base, and 

 have a broad dark band on the hind margin ; this is frequently 

 preceded by a slender transverse line " (' British Moths/ p. 285). 

 The type is thus described by Borkhausen : " The ground colour is a 

 mixture of umber- and grey-brown, which is sometimes darker and 

 sometimes lighter. The four transverse lines are somewhat yellowish 

 and bordered with brown, the abbreviated basal line indistinct, the 

 others normal. Between the 2nd and 3rd lines are the stigmata, 

 which are yellowish-grey in colour, outlined with brown and with 

 the centres slightly brownish. The reniform has, in its centre, a 

 small yellowish streak. Under the orbicular is the claviform which 

 is always of a darker brown than the ground colour. The zigzag 

 subterminal is the palest of the transverse lines, and on it, there are 

 a few black cuneiform marks. On the hind margin is a row of 

 lunular spots. Hind wings light grey-brown with darker hind 

 margin" (< Naturgeschichte ' &c., iv., p. 422). Of this species 

 Mr. Kobson writes : " Ground colour ochreous, but not so pale as in 

 the last species (irregularis) ; the hind margin, a blotch near the anal 

 angle, and the margins of the stigmata are the palest portions of the 

 wing. It is a very variable insect, southern specimens being much 

 paler than those taken in the north, but the distinction between the 

 ground colour and the markings appears to be equally preserved in 

 most cases, the dark markings being proportionately darker when the 

 ground colour is darker. Some of the specimens taken in the south 

 are pale ochreous, almost without markings. This variety was called 

 ochracea by Haworth." " The female of this species has not nearly so 

 extended an ovipositor as some of the genus." He also writes: 

 " Carpophaga is tolerably well distributed in England. It occurs in 

 Scotland, but not in Ireland. Newman says, ' the name occurs in the 

 Irish list.' I do not know anything of this, but possibly the next 

 species was the insect so named " (' Young Naturalist,' vol. iv., p. 182). 

 The type appears to be by far the most common form, especially in 

 the more northern localities. I have it from Kipon, Darlington, 

 Hartlepool, Liverpool, Rotherharn and the Suffolk coast, whilst from 

 Kent-I have two specimens only of this form. 



The following is an attempt to classify the varieties of this species : 



