200 THE entomologist's eecord. 



pattern very much extended : the external precostal spots are quite 

 black, there exist some additional black spots in the hind-portion of 

 the forewing and the pre-marginallunules and bands are black, instead 

 of being chestnut-colour. Form pictior, mihi ; types from Petrograd 

 and of the hybernating brood. 



This species shows a very marked seasonal dimorphism, which I 

 find to be quite constant. Some authors have affirmed the contrary, 

 but I think this depends upon their not having separated the broods 

 correctly ; it must be born in mind that their times of emergence are 

 very close to each other, and that individuals of the first still fly at 

 the end of August, when the second begins to emerge. Some 

 confusion has also arisen through a few authors calling the first brood of 

 yanessidi the hybernating one, and second the summer one. This 

 method would have the advantage of better showing the analogy with 

 the generality of RJwpalocera, and would be based on the epoch of 

 reproduction, the name being maintained even when emergence, as in 

 this case, takes place entirely in the autumn ; it would be quite correct 

 in the cases of egea and polychloros, which emerge partly in the spring, 

 like some Pieridae, but on the other hand cardui, amongst the 

 Vanessidi, would have decidedly to be reckoned in the opposite way to 

 the rest, so that I conclude it is much better to keep to the method 

 generally in use and to disregard the exceptions, which are only 

 partial, of egea and j)olychloros. Anyhow, the use of " hybernating " 

 and of " summer " brood will always make things quite clear. 



As far back as 1881 Eobson had named the summer generation 

 hiifchinsoni from English specimens, and it ' is surprising that 

 subsequent authors should have entirely overlooked this name even in 

 England, including the accurate Tutt in his Hand-book of Brit. Butt. 

 Staudinger revived it and rightly applied it to the entire generation, 

 sinking pallida, Tutt» and luteacevs, Bath, in. synonymy. Stichel, in 

 Seitz's Gross-schviett., let himself be influenced, evidently, by doubts on 

 the constancy of dimorphism and restricted it to the females with the 

 pattern extremely reduced and light ochreous underside ; in the study 

 of individual variation it is quite right to take this culminating form 

 as the typical one, but the name should also be used, as it was meant 

 by Eobson, and as did Staudinger, for the whole brood. Tutt uses 

 the name " palUdior, Pet.," for specimens with ochreous undersides, 

 but it must be noted that Petiver (not Petagna, as interpreted by 

 Wheeler) only used the word in his description : " Eadetii siibtus 

 pallidior, the pale Comma," and never meant it for a name. Anyhow 

 it could not stand, being previous to 1758, and Tutt's description 

 alone stands, making it a synonym (1896) of hntchinsoni. Another 

 name which has been quite left in oblivion is that of obscurior. 

 Baron Selys-Longchamps in his Cat. Lep. oil Pap. de la Behjique, p. 

 18 (1837), calls c-albim the " July " brood and obscurior the 

 " September, March " one, showing he had separated them better than 

 some" modern authors. There is no other description but that 

 contained in the meaning of the name itself, so that I suppose the 

 name should not be considered valid. If it were, those who disregard 

 the evidence of specimens labelled by Linneus inight say that his 

 description applies to both broods, and that if hntcJiinsoni exists in 

 Scandinavia, as no doubt it does, Selys-Lougchamps was at liberty 

 to select this form as nymotypical, and obscurior should stand for 

 the other. 



