NOTES ON JVPW AND RARE BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 137 



tl^e true Zinckenii of Treitschke in ^' The Entomologist's 

 Monthly Magazine" (vol. iii. p. 163). 



At first sight Zinckenii he^rs so much superficial resem' 

 blance to an Acronycta, that M. Guenee's remarks—" La 

 description de Fahricius * lui convient assez^ mais comment 

 concevoir cpiil donne d cette Noctuelle la taille et le port de 

 Psi, a quelque abus des comparaisons qiion soit habitue chez 

 cet auteur ! et puis il est peu probable que Fabricius ait 

 connu line espece qui devait etre si rare de son temps, je rCose 

 done lui resiituer son nom " — I confess surpiise me ; nor 

 does it cause me wonder that several excellent Entomologists 

 have, on seeing Mr. Meek's specimen, attributed it to the 

 genus Acronycta. On a cursory view, its tints remind one 

 considerably oi Xylina conformis, but the foi-m of the fore- 

 winof assimilates much to that oi Hadena. On more careful 

 inspection, however, the robust, square, well-defined thorax 

 and the depressed abdomen incline us, in spite of the shape 

 of the wings, to seek its prototype among the Xylinidce. 



The fio^ure gjiven at the commencement of this volume 

 renders unnecessary any attempt at a redescription of the 

 markings of this handsome moth, but it is impossible by any 

 engraving to convey to us an adequate idea of the moire 

 lustre, the rich faintly-violet tints of silvery grey, or the 

 striking contrasts of light and shade which cause this insect, 

 as we view it from different aspects, to appear as if now one 

 part, now another stood forth from the wing in bold relief, 

 deceiving our sense of sight by an optical illusion, which 

 impressive as it is by day is yet intensified by lamp or gas 

 light. 



Zinchenii is a scarce insect on the continent ; M. Guenee 



* Of Noctua lamda, Ent. Syst. iii., 2, 106. 



