83 



the fore-wings of which are greyish-brown, with black reni- 

 form and orbicular stigmata, and a submarginal row of black 

 dots. The other example is darker grey-brown with 

 unicolorous stigmata, outlined in pale grey, and the other 

 markings are very faint ; this seems to be ab. obscura, Tutt, 

 a very rare form according to that author. I ma)' add that 

 I have not, so far, seen any British example of C. vaccinii 

 that has shown a tendency to vary in the direction of either 

 signata or obscura. 



" As regards C. ligula the two specimens sent as typical do 

 not agree in colour with Esper's figure or his description of 

 ligula, although they more nearly answer to the 'fusco 

 rufescentibus ' of the latter than the still darker colour of the 

 figure. Anyway, these specimens show us the form recog- 

 nised in Germany as the typical one ; also that this is not 

 like the form we regard as the type. 



" Of the seven specimens labelled C. ligula ab. subspadicea, 

 Staudinger, four only are really true to name, the other three 

 are intergrades. 



" Only one of the three specimens sent as ab. polita, 

 Hiibner, will pass muster ; and the two examples from 

 Vienna labelled turtur, Bang-Haas, although right in colour 

 — blackish-grey — lack the pale grey venation and markings 

 which are characters of this form. The pale bluish-grey 

 specimens labelled ' C. ligula, ab. livina,' is not a form of 

 ligula, but it is ab. livina, Staudinger, a form of the South 

 European C. staudingcri, Graslin. 



" One object in exhibiting these specimens is to indicate 

 the necessity of verifying the identifications of one's corre- 

 spondents. This is more especially desirable in the case of 

 aberrations of variable species ; but, of course, we should 

 exercise the same caution with typical examples of the 

 species also. 



"The specimens also illustrate another point, this is, that 

 British and continental forms of a species are not always 

 exactly identical, although the same varietal names may be 

 used for them." 



Mr. South again exhibited the continental specimens of 

 Cucullia shown at a previous meeting (April gth, 1908) when 

 Mr. Tutt expressed the opinion that, with the exception of, 

 perhaps, two, all those labelled C. scrophularicc were correctly 

 named. Mr. South was unable to accept this view, as he 

 believed that most of the specimens were referable to C. 

 lychnitis, and the others to C. verbasci. He therefore decided 

 to refer the matter to Mr. F. N. Pierce, who very kindly 



