IN THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 55 



in size, it is almost as large as that species ; but we have specimens of 

 scarcely half its size like hymencea. No doubt Hubner's var. mneste, 

 to which he has added, also, a rarer, but well-known brown var. of 

 the larva, belongs to this species. This is already mentioned in ' Pap. 

 (V Europe,' vol. viii., p. 86 " (' Die Schmet. von Europa,' vol. v., pt. 3, 

 pp. 349-351). There is, as remarked by Treitschke, very considerable 

 variation in the size, in the amount of mottling on the anterior wings, 

 and in other minor characters. On the hind wings, the central black 

 band is generally more or less complete to the anal angle, but occasion- 

 ally does not quite reach it, thus forming what is known as the var. 

 mneste of Hiibner, a form so insignificant, that it is scarcely worthy of 

 special notice. 



a. var. mneste, Hb. Guenee writes of this as follows : " This 

 supposed species appears to me entirely imaginary. It is founded 

 particularly on the fact that the median band of the inferior wings 

 does not quite reach the anal angle, for if one attempts to apply the 

 other differences, Hiibner and Esper do not agree. It is simply on an 

 exaggeration of the band in his promissa (fig. 657) and the white parts 

 of the superior wings, that he has been led to make two species " 

 (' Noctuelles,' vol. vii., p. 90). Hubner's fig. 569 which he names 

 mneste is not of quite so deep a red, and the pale parts of the fore 

 wings rather incline to reddish-ochreous. Compared with Hubner's 

 own promissa (' Sammlung europ. Schmet.,' fig. 334) there is no 

 distinction, as Guenee would suggest in the quotation above, that in 

 promissa the black band on the hind wing reaches the inner margin 

 whilst in mneste it does not do so, as in neither fig. 334 (promissa) nor 

 in fig. 569 (mneste) does the black band reach this margin. However, 

 as some specimens vary in this way it may be convenient to retain 

 Hiibner's name for the form. This variety in which the black band 

 on the hind wings does not reach the anal angle is figured by 

 Humphrey and Westwood, PI. Ivi., fig. 4, as conjuncta. Of this they 

 write : " This species is very closely allied to the two preceding, 

 (sponsa and promissa) measuring about 2J inches, or somewhat less, in 

 the expanse of the fore wings, which are ashy-brown, varied with 

 darker clouds and dentate strigse, and a rather pale patch in the whitish 

 central fascia; the hind wings coccineous, with a nearly straight, 

 black, central fascia abbreviated towards the anal angle, and a broad 

 black margin, of which the inner edge is rather more sinuated than 

 the preceding striga, and having a whitish patch on the margin, near 

 the tip of the wing ; abdomen ashy-brown. Mr. Stephens states that 

 a specimen has been taken near Dulwich ; two other specimens were 

 in ancient British collections of which the localities are unknown " 

 (< British Moths,' p. 250). 



ft. var. rosea, mihi. Guenee describes a variety (var. A) of which 

 he says : " Abdomen entirely of a rose colour " (' Noctuelles/ vol. 

 vii., p. 90). I do not know whether such occur among our British 

 specimens. 



VIII. Sub-class : SKRPENTINJE, Gn. 

 1. Family: Ophinsidce, Gn. 



Guenee divides the Serpentine into four families, of three of which 

 we have representatives in Britain, but only four species are distributed 



