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THE ENTOMOLOGIST S KKCORD. 



incision existing in the atrophied zone of the wing, where the band 

 becomes markedly narrower. This figure only has five spots on 

 forewing, but in the text medicaginis is described as usually having 

 six, and it is then added that many individuals have five on the upper- 

 side, but always six on underside. The hindwings are described by 

 Boisduval as having a " very broad marginal band . . . strongly 

 sinuate internally, besides this the nervures stand out in violel-blue." 

 If the name dubia, Stdgr., is to survive, it can only be, to ray mind, 

 for this figure and description, as opposed to the slightly different 

 figure of Hiibner's wedicaginu. Seitz's fignie, especially of male 

 dubia, represents it very fairly. Concerning the latter name, there is 

 another question in which my friend Oberthiir will, I hope, excuse me 

 if I cannot follow. 



Eace duponcheli, mihi. In dealing with the races of xtoeclwdis, 

 be uses the name of iiiedicaginis, Duponchel (1835), for that of the 

 Alpes-Maritimes Department, which, I am about to mention. In so 

 doing he quite disregards the law of priority established by the codes 

 of nomenclature. Hubner created the name and any use made of it 

 must be based on his original figure. Had the doubt expressed about 

 it by Oberthiir really existed, the name might have remained a umnen 

 niidiivi, hut no one else could have used it with a new descript ; on and 

 Duponchel's race should anyhow receive a new name. Oberthiir 

 applies the name of medicagima, Duponchel. pa.rt'cularly to the race of 

 the " region not distant from the coast of the Alpes-Maritimes 

 Department." Duponchel collected his specimens at Nice. Oberthiir 

 emphasises the points that six-spotted forms are quite rare, that there 

 is usually no red suffusion on underside of forewing, and that "the 

 hindwing is red," but " with a very characteristic mass of individuals, 

 notably those with the hindwings invaded by the blue colouring." In 

 Duponchel's figure 6 there are five spots and the band is less broad 

 than in Hiibner's and Boisduval's. Figure 5 is not a transalpine!, 

 Esp., as suggested by Oberthiir ; spot 4 stands well behind spot 3 and 

 not further out, as it would if this were the case ; it simply represents 

 a small, weakly duponcheli, being probably one of those bred by 

 Duponchel whilst travelling, as he narrates. 



Eace montivaga, Vrty. {.Bull. Sac. Ent. ItaL. xlvii., p. 73 

 (December 16th, 1915). In some mountain localities of Central Italy 

 and more especially at considerable altitudes the size of stoechadis 

 tends to diminish considerably and very small individuals are frequent. 

 This diminutive form was for the first time observed at Bolognola, in 

 the Sibillini Mts. (prov. of Macerata) at 1200m., and' described by me 

 under the name of montivaga. In the mountains in general and in 

 this race more particularly there are two distinct emergences ; one in 

 July, before the " summer pause " and one at the end of August and in 

 September. The latter is usually called a second generation, but this 

 is certainly a mistake and, as observed by Querci in his paper on 

 Zygaena travsalpina, it consists in sluggish individuals, which are 

 so late in rousing from their winter slumber and in feeding up that 

 they are struck by the inhibiting effects of the height of summer 

 before reaching their complete development and they only resume their 

 activity again after the rains which break up the heat and allow the 

 herbaceous vegetation to grow. In the plains the second emergence 

 does not exist or it consists in a few sporadic individuals, but in the 

 mountains it is in some years quite abundant, presumably when pro- 



