66 VARIETIES OF NOCTU-SJ 



monest varieties of the species in England, a very large percentage of our 

 specimens being of a dark fuscous colour with the characteristic 

 markings almost, and sometimes perfectly, obsolete. 



. var. viltatus, Haw. Of this variety Guene'e writes : " The 

 costa, paler throughout its length. This is the only difference which 

 Haworth himself suggests, who recognised, otherwise, that it might be 

 only a simple variety " (' Histoire naturelle ' etc. (Deltoi'des), vol. viii., 

 p. 32). This is a parallel variety to var. radiatalis, Hb., but has the 

 ground colour somewhat paler. It is not at all an uncommon form, in 

 various localities in the South of England, Haworth's description of 

 cittatus is as follows ; " C. (The cream-edged Snout) alis acutis sub- 

 retusis griseo-pallidis, fusco subnebulosis, stria lata seu vitta recta 

 costali flavicante." " Expansio alarum 1 unc. X lin. Costas anticarum 

 vitta flavicante priore (rostralis) solat discrepat. Forte mera ejus 

 varietas " (' Lepidoptera Britannica,' p. 367). 



77. var. unicolor, mihi. This is one of the commonest forms of the 

 species in Britain, a large percentage of our specimens being of a pale 

 greyish-fuscous colour without distinct markings. It is a parallel 

 form to var. palpalis, Fab., but is paler in colour, both being almost 

 equally common. 



Hypena, Tr., obsitalis, Hb. 



This rare species was first recorded as British by the Rev. 0. 

 Pickard Cambridge, who wrote : " On the 21st of September last, 

 I captured a moth unknown to me, at rest on a door jamb in my 

 flower garden. It was evidently a Hypena, but quite distinct from 

 either of our known British species. My old friend, Mr. F. Bond, has 

 kindly compared it with specimens in the British Museum collections, 

 and determined it to be Hypena obsitalis , Hub., not before recorded as 

 British" ('Entomologist,' xvii., p.265). This notice was accompanied by a 

 woodcut of the species, and a footnote from Mr. Carrington, the Editor of 

 the ' Entomologist,' who wrote : " From Hypena rostralis, which is our 

 nearest allied species, H. obsitalis differs considerably in having some- 

 what longer anterior wings, which are pointed and more mottled with 

 black than in H. rostralis. The best character for identification is the 

 angular or elbowed line across each anterior wing. In H. obsitalis 

 these wings are brown, and, in addition to the black markings already 

 mentioned, are some of an obscure pale yellow colour. In our collec- 

 tions this addition to our fauna will follow H. rostralis. The figure 

 above is taken from a Continental example of Hypena obsitalis, 

 formerly in the possession of the late Mr. Henry Doubleday, and 

 closely resembles the specimen recently captured by the Rev. 0. 

 Pickard Cambridge " (' Entomologist,' vol. xvii., pp. 265-266), 



Of Hiibner's types I made the following description : " Fig. 164, 

 $ (?). Anterior wings pale grey, very slightly ochreous, much 

 mottled with fine black longitudinal markings, with a broken black 

 basal line ; the elbowed line slightly marked, with a faint costal 

 patch towards the apex. The hind wings dark grey." "Fig. 165, $ . 

 Anterior wings brownish with greyish inner margin, two round 

 black dots in the centre of the position of the basal line. The 

 orbicular black, with another dot below it near the inner margin. A 

 series of short blackish-brown longitudinal dots takes the place of the 



