28 VARIETIES OF NOCTU^J 



heiraer, who divided the specimens of Jo/a he had into two species, and 

 called the rarer yellow-brown form percontationis. An examination of 

 many specimens does not furnish any fixed mark of distinction. There 

 appears to be no difference between the larvae of jota and percontationis, 

 and Esper, as well as Borkhausen, only separated the darker from the 

 lighter specimens, because, in them they considered they had discovered 

 Linnaeus' interrogations, which, however, is now generally known to be 

 another species. My collection contains a pair of Ochsenheimer's per- 

 contationis, which resemble exactly the figures in the ' Naturforscher ' 

 and ' Pap. d'Europe,' and which I consider to be jota. Esper's figs. 

 3-4, which Ochsenheimer also classed among his percontationis are too 

 badly done to have any weight." Treitschke then further adds: 

 " As already mentioned, the colour of the var. percontationis is paler 

 yellow or flesh-coloured brown. The moth is stated to be larger than 

 iota, but I have several iota before me, which are larger than percon- 

 tationis. The mark of interrogation, should in the latter join below 

 with the spot, but I find in my collection, males of this variety with 

 the mark suffused on the left wing, whilst I possess several iota with 

 similar markings. The hind wings are more yellow than those of iota. 

 The discoidals are sometimes absent as in the allied species interroga- 

 tionis and gamma " ( 'Die Schmet.' &c., vol. v., 3rd pt., p. 184). I have 

 British specimens of this variety, with a complete y from Warrington, 

 Clevedon, Grantham, Morpeth, Mansfield and Aberdeen. 



/3. var. inscripta, Esp. Of this Guenee writes : " The golden 

 marks altogether absent " (' Noctuelles,' vi., p. 339), whilst Staudinger 

 says: " Signo argent, nullo" (' Catalog,' p. 126). Esper's diagnosis 

 of this variety is : " Ph. Noctua spirilinguis cristata alis deflexis, 

 superioribus ferrugineo-griseis, disco nigricante-fusco, nullo charactere 

 [ut in prioribus (iota)] notato " (' Die Schmet. in Abbil.' &c., p. 229). 

 The figure (PI. 113, fig. 5) to which this description refers, has no 

 gamma mark. I have seen no British specimen with this mark obso- 

 lete, although it is quite probable that such exist. 



y. var. ancora, Frr. Staudinger writes of this : " Ab. pallidior " 

 (* Catalog,' p. 126), whilst Guenee writes: "I have not seen it in 

 nature. Its colour should be generally paler ; the elbowed line should 

 have no sinus in its lower part ; the metallic markings should be of a 

 dull silver colour ; the hind wings with a less distinct border" etc. 

 (' Noctuelles,' vol. vi., p. 339). Freyer's figure (< Neure Beitrage,' PI. 

 47, fig. 1) has the anterior wings of a very pale tint, with a dark patch 

 just below the stigmal area in which the almost obsolete y-mark is 

 placed. It is riot a very striking form, except for its more than usually 

 pale ground colour. 



Plusia, Och., pnlchrina, Haw. 



This is a very beautiful species and closely allied to jota ; although 

 they appear very different when series of each species are examined 

 side by side. The rich purplish tint which makes this species so 

 beautiful, is almost entirely wanting in that species, and the darker 

 colour in this shows up conspicuously the paler transverse lines, making 

 it look more variegated than its congener. The ground colour of some 

 specimens is redder (approaching jota), and in others, the markings in 

 the central area and following the subterminal are conspicuously darker 



