96 VARIETIES OP NOCTTL3E 



points of which are directed towards the base of the wing; the 

 outer lower angle of the grey blotch which occupies the costal portion 

 of the base of the wing is often prolonged into a kind of hook, the 

 point of which is directed towards the base of the wing ; it must how- 

 ever, be admitted that the markings of the wings are far too incon- 

 stant to afford any reliable characters " (' British Moths,' p. 423). 

 This species is noticeable as offering a parallel instance to those of 

 Agrotis hyperborea, A. subrosea and others, in which the Continental 

 form from northern latitudes is generally different from the ordinary 

 form we take in England. Occasionally we get a type specimen en- 

 tirely grey with only an nn-like mark, but more generally our British 

 specimens have a distinct red-brown central band which is very 

 striking. Altogether this is a most interesting species. 



The forms we get may be grouped as follows : 

 1. Grey, with an nn-like mark = rectilinea, Esp. 

 2. With central area below stigmata banded = var. semivirgata. 

 3. With central area from costa to inner margin banded = var. 



virgata. 



a. var. semivirgata, mihi. The ground colour as in the type but 

 with the area below the stigmata, including the nn-like mark, banded 

 as far as the inner margin. This and the following are the usual 

 forms of the species in Scotland. They also occur in Scandinavia, but 

 there, the type without the dark central band is much more common 

 than with us. 



fi. var. virgata, mihi. The central area between the complete 

 basal and the angulated lines, filled in with deep reddish-brown, the 

 stigmata generally being traceable in the banded area. This is the 

 variety A of Guenee who writes : " The median space entirely occupied 

 by maroon-brown which becomes almost black in its lower part. The 

 basal streaks are so thick and contiguous that they leave only the upper 

 half of the basal area clear. The stigmata almost absorbed by the 

 brown." " Scotland " (' Noctuelles,' vol. vi., p. 106). 



8. Family : Gonopteridce, Gn. 



This family forms a part of Guenee's sub-class Variegatce, but is 

 removed by Staudinger so as to connect the Orthosidce and Xylinidce, 

 and I must say that the neighbourhood of the Orthosidce or Cosmidce 

 seems a fairly satisfactory one for it, taking all its larval habits and 

 methods of pupation into consideration. Guenee was rather dis- 

 satisfied with his location of the species and writes : " This genus 

 (Gonoptera) contains only a single species, for the libatrix of North 

 America does not differ sufficiently from our European species to 

 constitute a distinct species. Tt is very difficult to place this among 

 our indigenous species, where there is, in fact, nothing analogous. Its 

 larva is distinguished strikingly from the other genera of the family 

 by the number of its feet, which are all equal ; it lives on bushes and is 

 always found at the end of the branches. It is there also that it spins 

 its cocoon, composed of very pure silk and contained loosely between 

 the leaves. The chrysalis is equally remarkable for its opaque dull 

 colour, and by the little crest which one sees in the middle of the 

 collar and which is afterwards reproduced in the imago " (' Noctuelles/ 

 vol. vi., p. 405). 



