IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 93 



this third pale line are two or more acutely pointed dark wedge- 

 shaped marks which point towards the base of the wing ; in connec- 

 tion with the second of these transverse lines, and between it and the 

 third, is a transverse series of six white dots, all of them seated on the 

 wing- rays, and each preceded, as well as followed, by a black dot : 

 the hind wings are reddish grey-brown, the wing-rays being slightly 

 darker and the fringes slightly paler : the thorax is crested, and, like 

 the fore wings, much variegated " (' British Moths,' p. 420). 

 Kottemburg's description of the type is as follows : " Fore wings 

 reddish-brown, mottled with various darker and lighter patches ; a 

 white, transverse, zigzag line, edged with red-brown, near the hind 

 margin ; the orbicular and reniform stigmata near the middle of the 

 fore wings towards the costa, both brownish in the centre and 

 bordered with white. Hind wings light grey, darker towards the 

 outer margin with a whitish fringe. Head and thorax the colour of 

 the fore wings, the abdomen the colour of the hind wings. The 

 whole moth has a bright glossy appearance and is about the size of 

 H. pisi" (* Der Naturforscher,' ix., p. 119). 



The following forms appear to have been described : 1. Greyish- 

 brown = var. humeralis, Haw. 2. Keddish, mottled = thalassina, 

 Rott. 3. Reddish, more unicolorous = achates, Hb. 



a. var. humeralis, Haw. Haworth's diagnosis of this greyer form 

 of thalassina is : " Noctua alis nebulosis brunneo-cinereis, strigis 

 tribus albis ; basi pallidis lineola nigra ; posticis fuscis." " Praece- 

 denti simillima (duplex = adusta), at minor, pulchrior, strigis longe 

 pallidioribus ; alis posticis fuscis ; nee albidis fimbria fusca, ut in 

 priore " (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 190). This grey form is not at 

 all uncommon in the various localities in Kent in which I have 

 collected. 



/3. var. achates, Hb. Of var. achates, Staudinger writes : " Al. 

 ant. magis unicoloribus rufescentibus " (< Catalog,' p. 90). Hiibner's 

 figure may be described as: "Anterior wings reddish-brown, with 

 the typical basal patch small and ochreous, with a short longitudinal 

 black line below it ; the basal line paler and double ; the stigmata also 

 paler but outlined in black ; a pale patch under the stigmata ; a short 

 costal streak reaches to reniform ; the angulated line wavy and in- 

 distinct ; the subterminal whitish ; the outer edge of nervures darker. 

 Hind wings dark grey, base paler, distinct lunule " ( l Sammlungeurop. 

 Schmet.' &c., fig. 498). This more unicolorous red form does not ap- 

 pear to form a local race, but to occur now and then with the type in 

 the same localities. 



Hadena, Och., contigua, Vill. 



The three last species considered (oleracea, pisi, and thalassina), 

 have not got the dentate mark, so characteristic of certain species of 

 Hadena, under the* orbicular. This, on the contrary, has it very 

 srtongly developed. The orbicular is usually pale and occasionally 

 pupillated, the costal area between the reniform and apex sometimes 

 whitish with a slight reddish tinge. This pale area is sometimes ex- 

 tended to include all the space from the costa to the inner margin, 

 between the angulated and subterminal lines, whilst occasionally the 

 whole of the area towards the costa and apex, extending from the or- 



