Vaeiatiok'. 297 



Variation of Cosmoteiche potatoeia. — I have bred a very fine 

 series of Cosmotriche j)otatoria during the last season from larv» found 

 in this district. The males vary in colour from the typical form to 

 very pale yellow, whilst some of the females are of a very peculiar 

 shade of straw colour. — F. Glenny, F.E.S., The Orchard, Walsoken, 

 Wisbech. Octoher IStJi, 1900. 



Aberrations of Eeebia ^thiops. — I spent three days, August 6th, 

 &c., after Erehia aetJiiops this year, and I now have a fine series, and 

 am very much interested in the many aberrations and varieties it 

 presents. I was fortunate enough to get one ? with six ocellated 

 spots on the forewings and some fine ab. ochracea ; in fact, the latter 

 far outnumbered the type. I also obtained some dark males and 

 females with scarcely any bands, only rings round the spots. — H. 

 MousLEY, F.E.S., 10, Selborne Terrace, Bradford. August SOth, 1900. 



EeARING THE RED ABERRATIONS OF T^NIOCAMPA GRACILIS. It may 



interest some lepidopterists to know that I have this year reared a few 

 Taeniocampa r/yacilis from eggs laid in captivity last year by moths 

 hatched from larvee taken in the New Forest the year before. Those 

 emerged this spring are of the red New Forest form, and the dark 

 colour has persisted in spite of the insects being reared for a genera- 

 tion away from their natural home, and not on their natural food. I 

 had always expected this would occur, but some entomologists have 

 expressed a contrary opinion, and have averred that the darker 

 coloration was simply caused by the food-plant [Myrica gale), and that 

 if they were reared on dock, &c., they would revert to the pale greyish 

 colour. This has now been proved not to be so. — W. M. Christy, 

 M.A., F.E.S., Watergate, Emsworth. 



Triph.^ena janthina \kR. latijiaeginata, Rober. — As this is a 

 species little liable to variation in Britain, the following description of 

 a well-marked local race from Germany seems worthy of translation 

 and reproduction in the Record. The original description will be found 

 in the Entomoloijische Kachriclden, vol. xxvi., July, 1900, p. 204 : 



" Of this new Noctuid variety from the Harz, eleven picked examples lie before 

 me. They are, without exception, somewhat smaller than equally picked specimens 

 of the typical form, as figured in Hofmann's work (' Die gros.-schmett. Europas,' 

 2nd edit., 1894, pi. 32, fig. 7). The forewings are darker, and the orbicular and 

 reniform spots are more sharply marked ; the hindwings are on the upper and 

 under side of a deeper yellow, the black margin is much broader and continued on 

 the upper side both on the costa and on the inner margin to the black base, so that 

 in mcst specimens there is only a spot of yellow colouring left on the upper side. 

 The fringes of the hindwings are in most specimens blackish at the apex and 

 more striking than is the case in many examples of the type. On the under- 

 side of the forewings the inner portion is intensely black and the outer edge a 

 darker yellow, in many specimens reddish-brown. The body is on the upper side 

 darker and on the under side a deeper yellow." 

 T. B. Fletcher, F.E.S., 78, Thornlaw Road, West Norwood, S.E. 



A YELLOW aberration OF NoCTUA CASTANEA. 1 haVC foUlld NoctllCi 



castanea a very uncertain insect at sugar. In tsn seasons I have only had 

 one in which thespecies came regularly to sugar all through,?'/^., inl891. 

 That year I took with Mr. Bowyer, of Haileybury, eight or nine of the 

 yellow form, but up to this year I have never seen it again. This year, 

 from August 13th-18th, the specias came freely to sugar and I got at 

 first about 30 or 40 a night, and on each night, except the 16th, one 

 yellow one. On the 19th the weather became colder and the ling 

 blossom became attractive, and during the next week nothing came to 



