IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 115 



single black line, shaded with brown on both sides. The dark costal 

 shade having a washed-out appearance, ashy, pale. The ordinary 

 stigmata paler than the ground colour and distinctly surrounded with 

 dots. The inferior wings very pale, the nervures slightly dark and 

 without a cellular lunule, their undersides almost entirely whitish in 

 the male. Abdomen, long but slender ; the collar bordered with 

 clear brown" ( Noctuelles,' vol. vi., p. 128). Rambur's original 

 description is as follows: "This species is still further removed 

 from C. verbasci than is scrophularice, but yet it is very near the 

 latter, although, however,, it may still be a very distinct species. It 

 is the same size as scrophularice, but its wings are proportionally a 

 little narrower, and it is of a paler yellowish-red colour. The costal 

 edge of the superior wings is less dark, of a grey-brown slightly 

 reddish, marked with transverse lines. The clear whitish space 

 bordering the dark inner margin of the wing is sometimes slightly 

 apparent. The inner margin is less dark and the clear space near the 

 anal angle is larger, whilst the line which borders this space anteriorly 

 is well-marked. The two crescents which are of the ground colour of 

 the wing do not apparently differ. The stigmata are rather indistinct. 

 The orbicular is enclosed by four black dots placed as in a square ; the 

 reniform is also enclosed by black dots which vary in number from 

 two to three on its inner edge, and four to six on its outer. The hind 

 wings are paler. The cowl is bordered posteriorly with ashy-brown " 

 ('Ann. Soc. France,' 1833, p. 17). 



a. var. rivulorum, Gn. Guenee's description of this variety is : 

 " A little larger ; superior wings a little more dentated, of a warmer 

 ochreous, with the costa darker, very distinctly marked with blackish- 

 ash. The stigmata more distinctly outlined. The inferior wings 

 darker, the cellular lunule more distinct" ('Noctuelles,' vol. vi., 

 p. 129). Staudinger writes of it : " Major, magis ochracea " (' Catalog,' 

 p. 122). 



Cucullia, Schrk., asteris, Schiff., Fab. 



There are some slight points of variation in this species. The 

 ashy or slaty colour in the centre of the wing is sometimes paler than 

 at others, and there is also a slight variation in the width of the darker 

 costal area producing a corresponding change in the central area. 

 Guenee says nothing of the imago, but writes : " The caterpillar 

 presents two varieties which are very well figured by Hiibner" 

 (' Noctuelles,' vol. vi., p. 133). Staudinger refers to Schiffermiiller in 

 the ' Syst. Verz.' as the nomenclator, but his description is simply : 

 " Sternblum Eule aus Sachsen" (p. 312) which is really worthless. 

 Esper simply refers to and quotes Fabricius' description : " Cristata, 

 alis integris striatis cinereis ; marginibus nigris : exteriore purictis 

 tribus nigris," to which Fabricius adds : " Statura et magnitude 

 omnino N. verbasci at alse integrse. Antennse supra albse, subtus 

 ferrugineas. AJae in medio pallidee lateribus fuscis. In costa puncta 

 tria alba, in margine tenuiori lunula alba. Posticae fuscse disco ciliisque 

 albis " (' Mantissa,' p. 180). 



Cucullia, Schrk., gnaphalii, Hb. 



This exceedingly rare species in Britain was first figured by 

 Hiibner. The description I made of the type is : " $ . Anterior 



i2 



