266 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



named series, and the central tuft instead of being very large is 

 almost wanting, whilst a red line from the tuft to the costa 

 near the apex is very noticeable. Not one of his series of six 

 shows this red line, and the disc of their wings is in each 

 case unicolorous light brown, vitta pure white, and the central 

 tuft large and rust-coloured. This new name had better be 

 dropped. 



[Alhipiuictana, Steph. — A well-known and well-described form, 

 but the central tuft is rarely white, owing to cream scales being 

 intermixed, which make it appear white in some lights only, and 

 distinctly cream in others. At other times the ground colour is 

 darker, nearly black on the costa, and one specimen in the 

 writer's series is very like semiustana, with white tuft and 

 vitta.] 



Ockreapunctana, Clk. — Similar to albijmnctana, Steph., but 

 button more decidedly yellow, and vitta distinctly ochreous. 



Proxanthovittana, Clk. = xanthovittana, Desv. — Desvignes' 

 description is curt ; he says it is like unicolorana and alhofiaDi- 

 mana, with a yellow dash or vitta, but it is not like unicolorana.f 

 inasmuch as that form is entirely without vitta, and it is not like 

 alhoflammana, Curt., for that form has a broad white vitta. It 

 must then have some other character possessed in common with 

 them other than a vitta, or they would not have been classed 

 together by him. Looking for this feature in common, we at 

 once see it to be the absence of the central tuft — the very point 

 of distinction that Clark claims for his var. proxanthovittana. By 

 the law of priority Clark's name must then sink in favour of 

 xanthovittana, Desv., but we may transfer it to the similarly 

 coloured brown-tufted insect, which has long stood in a mixed 

 series in our cabinets under the name " xanthovittana.''' 



B. Button ivanting or extremely small. 



[Albojlammana, Curt. — Unicolorous light to dark brown, button 

 entirely wanting, vitta snow-white.] A well-known variety. 



S'uhalhoflammana, Clk. — Unicolorous pale brown, with snow- 

 white vitta, button only represented by a white dot. 



[Unicolorana, Desv. — Ground colour as last, but no button 

 and no vitta.] 



Siibunicolorana, Clk. — Differs from unicolorana, Desv., by 

 conspicuous large dark button. From its large button this 

 obviously should not be placed here ; yet only differing as it does 

 from the last in this respect, I have reluctantly included it. 

 It seems impossible to graduate the varieties of cristana in 

 any satisfactory sequence, and collectors would do w^ell to 

 observe Desvignes' plan, and arrange them as much as possible 

 in groups, rather than according to their own individual 

 pleasure. 



