IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 181 



of the specimens of the insect obtained at Rannoch " (< Entomologist,' 

 vol. xiv., p. 280). My Shetland examples exhibit this peculiar color- 

 ation. 



P. var. vidua, Frey. This is a form with both darker fore and 

 hind wings figured by Freyer. The ground colour is blackish, with 

 greyish markings, and has a very unicolorous appearance. Guenee 

 writes: " I believe that the vidua of Freyer (iv., pi. 311, fig. 3), is 

 only an accidental variety. The superior wings are entirely blackish, 

 with the terminal space and a costal spot above the reniform of a 

 clear grey. The inferior wings are entirely black in some parts" 

 (' Noctuelles,' vol. vi., p. 190). Of Freyer's vidua I made the follow- 

 ing notes : " Fig. 2. Anterior wings greyish, with black basal, 

 elbowed and sub terminal lines and black outline to the reniform. 

 Hind wings, with black margin and black lunule. The normal white 

 parts of the hind wings grey. Fig. 3. Anterior wings black from the 

 base to the subterminal line, except a small grey patch around the reni- 

 form, extending to the costa ; and of a greyish colour to the outer margin, 

 beyond the subterminal" (' Neuere Beitrage' etc., pi. 311, figs. 2-3). 

 Fig. 2 would appear to be referable to var. rupestralis, whilst the only 

 difference between fig. 3 and the following variety appears to be that 

 the fore wings of vidua are very dark as well as the hind wings, the 

 fore wings of rupestralis being more normal. 



y. var. rupestralis, Hb. This variety generally has the fore wings 

 normal, but the hind wings with the white parts much restricted and 

 suffused. Guenee describes this form as the type, but Staudinger 

 correctly treats it as a variety, and writes : " Al. post, totis inf uscatis " 

 (' Catalog,' p. 128). This is also the tristis of Hiibner. The description 

 I made of Hiibner's figure of rupestralis is as follows : " Anterior 

 wings dark grey with the abbreviated and complete basal lines paler, 

 the space between being black ; the orbicular and reniform black, also 

 the angulated line ; the subterminal line made up of a transverse series 

 of black wedge-shaped marks ; fringes alternately whitish and black. 

 Hind wings dark grey, black outer margin and lunule " (' Sammlung 

 europ. Schmet.,' (Pyralides) fig. 138). The same author's rnpestris 

 (figs. 64:4-645) represents the same form. 



Heliaca, H.-S., tenebrata, Sc. 



There appears to be but little variation in this species. Some 

 specimens are a little redder than others, and a tendency to be rather 

 paler in the area between the darker outer transverse margin and cen- 

 tral shade, is to be occasionally observed in other specimens. The 

 yellow of the hind wings gets paler when worn, but I have seen no fine 

 specimens naturally so. I have specimens in which the yellow area is 

 reduced to a comparatively small area forming a longitudinal lunule, and 

 others where it encroaches on the basal area. Scopoli's original descrip- 

 tion is as follows : " Long. lin. 4^ ; lat. 3. Fuscescentes ; alis anticis 

 subtus macula fiava ; posticis utrinque fascia flava." " Seticornis et 

 semigeometra, seu alis semipatulis, nee tamen Tortrix. Ala3 antica3 

 lineola alba prope apicem in margine crassiore, binisque similibus in 

 fimbria terminali. Ala3 posticae albida fimbria terminates, subtus 

 potissimum anticae flavse ; limbo f usco ; superne nigricantes ; fascia 

 fiava non attiugente marginem inferiorein." ' Variat lineolis alarum 



K2 



