IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 13 



distinguished from the preceding (parthenias), independently of its 

 shape and other characters, by the antennas of the male, which are 

 furnished with spathulate pubescent pectinations, whilst the joints 

 are simply thick and velvety in parthenias " (' Noctuelles,' vol. vi., 

 p. 265). The British specimens of this species are generally greyer 

 (more slaty) than in parthenias, and a conspicuous, broad oblique band 

 runs transversely from the costa, between the basal line and the centre 

 of the wing, to the inner margin. This is much more defined, 

 narrower, and with straighter edges than in parthenias. The de- 

 scription I made of Hubner's type is as follows : " Anterior wings 

 brown (very slightly reddish), with the base dark brown, slaty basal 

 line, externally edged with black, then a broad, oblique, brown, 

 transverse band reaching almost to the centre of the wing ; the band 

 shaded externally and broadly (throughout its length) with white 

 scales, the orbicular absent, the reniform surrounded with black ; the 

 elbowed line black with an external whitish costal mark ; the sub- 

 terminal slaty with a dark apical patch. Hind wings reddish-orange ; 

 the blackish-brown basal area solidly marked ; black outer margin " 

 (' Sammlung europ. Schmet.,' figs. 343-344). Of this species 

 Treitschke writes : " Notha has for a long time been confounded 

 with parthenias. The points of distinction, however, are very marked. 

 It varies in the clearness of the markings and vivacity of colour, 

 hardly less than parthenias, nor is the time of appearance different 

 from that of parthenias. But it is smaller than puella, the fore wings 

 are not so long, and there is generally less white on them, whilst the 

 dark band in the central area, like the angulated line, is straighter and 

 more uniform. The angulated line has, below the reniform and 

 towards the inner margin, a dentate mark, otherwise it is almost 

 straight, whilst in parthenias it is zigzag. The fringes are almost 

 unicolorous brown-grey, with very little white. Hind wings pale 

 orange colour especially in the $ . The black discoidal which joins 

 the triangular basal spot is slenderly elongated, and, excepting an 

 elevation on the outside, is of equal width. The underside is like 

 that of parthenias, but there is no white to be seen with the exception 

 of a spot adjoining the brown tip of the fore wings. In many 

 collections, notha is found under the name of parthenioides, but there 

 is no reason for altering Hubner's name " (' Die Schmet.' etc., vol. v., 

 pt. iii., pp. 383-384). I have before mentioned that the pectination 

 of the antennae and the width and direction of the oblique band 

 between the basal line and centre of the wing are very character- 

 istic in this species, and there is some essential difference in colour. 

 In the fore wings of parthenias there is generally a strong tinge of 

 reddish-brown, and the paler mottlings, when present, generally have 

 a tendency to ochreous. In notha, there is rarely even a suspicion of 

 reddish-brown, the colour being blackish-grey, whilst the paler 

 markings are decidedly paler grey, almost white or with a slight slaty 

 tint. The females, at any rate so far as my series is concerned, are 

 more decidedly and strongly marked than the males, which have 

 fewer paler marblings, sometimes none at all, the presence of these 

 pale marblings in the female, in fact, giving the markings of the 

 female their distinctness. In the hind wings, notha is of a more 

 uniform orange-red, and rarely, if ever, of a bright reddish hue like 

 some of the males of parthenias. 



