52 VARIETIES OF NOCTUJR 



Colchester," Mr. Weir remarking at the same time " that the colour 

 was the same as that which was normal in C. fraxini." 



/3. var. concubina, Bork. The form of nupta with the less bright 

 red hind wings is considered as the type, and that with the brighter 

 red hind wings as var. concubina. Sepp first figured this bright form 

 and it was afterwards copied by Esper in his * Die Schmet. in Abbil- 

 dungen' etc., PI. 97, figs. 1-2, who placed it by the side of the figure 

 of a typical nupta with less bright red hind wings, and then wrote that 

 the second (brighter coloured) figure was copied from the works of Sepp. 

 Borkhausen also referred to Sepp's figure, but he considered it distinct 

 from nupta and called it concubina, writing of it as follows : " Sepp 

 (' Nederland. Ins.,' vol. iv., p. 33, fig. 7). Should this moth which 

 Sepp has figured and Esper copied be considered a species distinct 

 from nupta ? I will give my opinions respecting this, but will first of 

 all describe the insect more minutely and leave the final decision to 

 more experienced entomologists ; meanwhile I call it concubina" He 

 then describes it as : " Phalcena Noctua concubina. It is of the same 

 size as nupta, whilst at the same time it is very near elocata and often 

 of the same size as the latter. The fore wings are of an ashy-grey 

 ground colour, much suffused and darkened by numerous black dots. 

 Towards the base, the wings are somewhat brownish, with a bluish 

 tint which is only seen in perfect specimens. The transverse lines 

 have very irregular teeth, strongly turned towards the outside ; the 

 reniform and a round spot below are suffused with a shiny bluish 

 tint, whilst a similar tint is noticeable towards the hind margin. The 

 hind wings are of a brighter red than that of nupta, and the middle 

 band is especially different, losing itself entirely in the hind margin. 

 In other respects it is like nupta " (' Naturgeschichte ' etc., vol. iv., 

 p. 21). Borkhausen then supports the probability of their distinctness 

 as species. Of concubina, Bork., Guene'e writes : " Superior wings of a 

 pure ashy colour not yellowish, the inferior wings of a brighter red, with 

 the median band more marked towards the abdominal margin." 

 Guenee also says : " It is found almost as often as the type, particu- 

 larly in the female sex. However, Borkhausen says that he had 

 found both sexes and even described the larva, but he owned that he 

 had obtained both species from intermediate larvse " (' Noctuelles,' 

 vol. vii., pp. 85-86). 



y. var. obscurata, Oberthiir. This is described by Oberthiir in his 

 ' Lepidopterous Fauna of the Isle of Askold ' as follows : " Very 

 much darker in the superior wings than the nupta of France. 

 M. 1'abbe David has taken in the North of China a similar example to 

 that from Askold" (' Etudes d'entomologie,' v., p. 86). 



Catocala, Schrk., sponsa, Linn. 



In the ground colour of the fore wings of this grand species 

 there is a tendency in some specimens to ashyj in others to ochreous, 

 in others to rich brown and occasionally to blackish -grey. The 

 central area varies very much in tint. In some specimens there is a 

 tendency to a pale band, whilst in others, this area is uniform with 

 the outer and basal areas of the wing, the area around the orbicular 

 persisting pale the longest. There is a pale spot, variable in size and 

 shape, directly under the reniform and orbicular, which at first sight 



