1046 The Zoologist— January, 1868. 



Still it appears that Guenee could detect a single specimen in Bois- 

 duval's cabinet mixed with his series of Festiva. The larva of Festiva 

 is figured by Hubner, that of Conflua by Milliere, and I have had the 

 pleasure of writing descriptions of both : the discrepancies between 

 them convince me they are perfectly distinct, and I believe that 

 I could, without fail, separate a mixed series of the perfect insect into 

 their respective species. 



10. Cucullia Verbasci and C. Scrophularia. — Haworth does not 

 appear to me to have been happy in differentiating these two insects ; 

 he describes the hind wings of the male ScrophulariaB as "albidaenon 

 albae," and as having the fringe " brown not black." These distinc- 

 tions certainly are not apparent in my specimens, and Haworth 

 himself seems dissatisfied with them, for he adds, "As the great 

 lepidopterist Hubner gives the water betony moth as a distinct species 

 from that of the mullein, and figures both as above cited, it is here also 

 enumerated, as I possess English specimens of each, and have seen 

 others, but unless they differ more in the larva state than they do in 

 the winged, which is almost a constant characteristic of the section 

 (Cucullia), I must still conceive they are not distinct, but very slight 

 variations only ; the chief difference is the paler colour of Scrophulariae, 

 whose upper wings, especially in the broad plaga, are of an ochraceous 

 colour, as figured by Hubner, while those of Verbasci are nearly white 

 in the same part." Guenee, with his usual conscientious painstaking, 

 has endeavoured to differentiate these insects, but has not seized on 

 the characters most insisted on by others. He says, " Les ailes 

 superieures sont raoins fortement dentees que chez Verbasci, pro- 

 portionellement plus large et moins aigues au sommet. Leur couleur 

 est plus jaune avec les parties foncees d'un brun plutot noiratre que 

 ferrugineux ; la cote plus cendree ; le cote terminale du triangle fonce, 

 moins net, et n'atteignant pas la 2nde inferieure ; les points discoidaux 

 plus marques et plus nombreux, surtout dans les femelles. Les deux 

 traits subcostaux plus noirs et moins isolees. Les ailes inferieures 

 sont plus clairs, avec le bordure moins fondue. L'abdomen et plus 

 court et plus conique ; la partie anterieure du poitrine seulement un 

 peu noiratre." {Noctuelites, ii. 128.) It will be admitted, nemine 

 contradicente, that Britain has produced no describing lepidopterist 

 approaching Haworth in knowledge of species or accuracy of 

 description, and that France has none equal to Guenee, and yet it 

 will be seen from the preceding quotations that these most com- 

 petent men, although carefully pointing out the differences between 



