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of the white, to what extent I am not prepared to say ; but I 

 have seen specimens in which there was less of the dark grey 

 colour than in the palest example in my series now exhibited, 

 and I think it is quite possible that I may yet see a 

 much nearer approach to albinism in this species. On the 

 other hand, we find the dark grey increasing at the expense 

 of the white, and also becoming heavier in tone, until at last 

 we have a melanic form. Sometimes the primaries have a 

 leaden grey coloration, with a more or less complete oblitera- 

 tion of the paler markings which in the specimens from 

 Shetland and Lewis are often tinged with ochreous. These 

 are the chief phases of variation ; there are some other 

 departures from the normal coloration and ornamentation, 

 but these are somewhat erratic, and although not unimportant 

 may be passed now without more particular reference. There 

 are probably several specimens in my series of Z>. nana which 

 represent varieties already named or to be named in the near 

 future ; but these I heed not. The series in its entirety 

 fairly well illustrates the aberration to which the species is 

 subject, and to which I have roughly adverted. The first and 

 last examples of the series I regard as coming within touch 

 of the extreme limits which bound the legitimate variation of 

 the species. 



I may add that it appears to me to be useless to give 

 names to three or four of the more aberrant forms of a poly- 

 morphic species, and to ignore the lesser deviations from the 

 type. When we confer distinctive names on other than 

 purely local forms or dimorphic forms of a species we are 

 either going too far or not far enough. 



In the discussion which ensued Mr. South said that he 

 considered D. capsophila, Dup. was only a local form of 

 D. carpophaga, Bork. Some specimens of a Diantlicecia from 

 South Wales were intermediate between capsopJiila and the 

 darker form of carpophaga. 



Mr. R. Adkin exhibited a series of Dianthcecia nana, from 

 Kent, Surrey, Shetland, and the Hebrides. 



Mr. T. W. Hall, series of many species of Diantlicecia. 



Mr. Tugwell exhibited Nemeophila plantaginis van hospita, 

 Schiff., from Forfarshire, and some almost black specimens of 

 Agrotis simulans, Hufn., from Aberdeenshire. 



