THE ATHALIA GROUP OF THE GENUS MELIT^A. 31 



ab. hertJia was originally described by Quensel (* Vetenskaps 

 Acadamie nya Handlingar,' T. xii. p. 280, 1791) as a separate 

 species, though it is really a form of athalia quite near to cori/- 

 thalia and pijronia. There are probably few forms of any of the 

 group about which such a mistaken idea prevails ; I have found 

 but one instance — Lampa (* Tidskrift,' 1889, p. 18) — of a descrip- 

 tion, which has been taken from Quensel's figure, loc. cit. pi. x. 

 figs. 9 and 10, and it is certainly a case where it was necessary 

 to consult the figure, for the original concise description is 

 wholly inadequate. It runs as follows : " Alis subdentatis fuscis, 

 supra anticis fascia macular!, posticis striga punctorum, fulvis." 

 A much longer Latin description follows, calling attention to the 

 many peculiarities not previously noticed. The figure is un- 

 coloured though excellent, and for the colouring of the following 

 description I have used the longer description of Quensel : — 



Up. s. f. w. : The outer subterminal line sharply defined and no 

 markings beyond it towards the base, except the large basal suffusion, 

 which melts into the ground colour about one-third of the way across 

 the wing ; the ground colour would seem to be somewhat lighter than 

 usual, as in the longer description the word luteus is substituted for 

 fiilvus. 



Up. s. h. w. : As in conjtliaUa, but with the light spot visible 

 though obsolescent. 



Un. s. f. w. : Ground colour dull yellow {obscure luteus), the only 

 markings being an indication of the outer subterminal line bordering 

 the brightish yellow {flavescens) lunules, the outlines of the lower 

 half of the stigma (or possibly the central part of the basal lines), and 

 between these a series of very narrow longitudinal dashes of unequal 

 length, so narrow as to be mere thin lines, and utterly unlike the black 

 dashes of eos and some other forms ; none of them extend so far 

 either as the basal markings in the one direction or the outer subter- 

 minal in the other. 



Un. s. h. w. : Spots of basal band coalescent, of a dull yellow 

 {luteus), and rather strongly edged with black ; the inner band appa- 

 rently represented by one dark (or black) spot ; the inner part both of 

 the central and outer bands black, the latter failing towards the 

 costa ; the outer band fulvous, the terminal and central of a bright 

 yellow {flavus). 



It will readily be seen that this is a very remarkable form on 

 the under side, even among the corythalia-gxou-^ of aberrations, 

 especially so on account of the fore wing. Aurivillius (' Nordens 

 Fjiirilar,' p. 29, 1888), in his description of this form, makes no 

 mention whatever of the un. s. f. w., and my own observation 

 ('Butterflies of Switzerland,' &c., p. 91) — "with long black 

 streaks un, s. f. w., but less black up. s. f. w." — is a very fair 

 sample of the inadequacy of most modern descriptions. 



ab. pyronia, Hiibner, * Sammlung,' i. pi. 114, figs. 585-588, 

 3 and 2 up. and un. s. (1804), is a modification of the same 

 form, with less of the dark colour on the up. s. f. w., and a 



