78 TfllE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



with the type female of gueneei made it at once evident that the 

 browner tone of the latter was not due to discoloration, and the 

 fact that, in the original description, made within some three 

 years of the capture of the type specimens, the ground-colour of 

 gueneei is stated to be "pale testaceous," which epithet is not 

 applicable to that of var. baxteri, affords additional proof of this. 

 The type male of gueneei, which is also somewhat larger and 

 more robust in appearance, is a shade paler than the type 

 female, but the former, although absolutely free from any 

 suspicion of grease, is in less good condition, being rather worn. 

 My firm belief, based upon careful study, is that neither has 

 changed colour since the date of capture, and that Doubleday, 

 holding, as I do, that the male, when fine, resembled the female 

 more closely in colour, abstained from mentioning the difference 

 between them, and deliberately chose the term " pale testa- 

 ceous " to describe the hue which, in his opinion, had prevailed 

 in both when equally fresh. Certain of my paler testacea would, 

 apparently, if similarly worn, be precisely concolorous with the 

 type male oi gueneei. Furthermore, Mr. South informs me {in litt., 

 26, xi., 1909) that some of the specimens of gueneei taken by 

 Mr. Baxter during the past season,- as well as the solitary indi- 

 viduals secured by him in 1889 and 1891, ** might be described 

 as testaceous, and have an ochreous browu tinge," and adds, 

 " The form I have named baxteri lacks this tint, and is of a paler 

 grey colour than the B. M. type [i.e., the type female oi gueneei. 

 — E. R. B.] ." I may mention that Mr. South's decision to 

 describe baxteri as var. nov. was based on a comparison of it 

 with the type female with gueneei; he has not seen the type 

 male since it passed into my possession in 1905, for there was 

 no opportunity of showing it him when I took it to London, last 

 December, in order to compare it with the type female. 



Norden, Corfe Castle : February 8th, 1910. 



[Mr. Sidney Webb has kindly sent the two specimens of 

 Luperina that stood as L. gueneei in the Bond Collection. 

 Barrett was of opinion that these were only light forms of 

 L. testacea, and there is no doubt whatever that this is so. 

 The specimens have been submitted to Mr, E. R. Bankes, and 

 he also refers them to L. testacea. — E. S.] 



THE ATHALIA GROUP OF THE GENUS MELITMA. 

 By Rev. George Wheeler, M.A., F.E S. 



(Continued from p. 11.) 



The specimens of athalia from Wiesbaden in Mr. Prideaux's 

 collection approach more nearly to deione than any others I 

 have seen ; even the .i^-mark of the marginal blotch, up. s., is 



