155! 



peculiarity being in the band of the secondaries, which is 

 intersected on the outer margin, and forms a row of marginal 

 crescents ; a similar state of things may also be observed in 

 individuals in some of the other series. 



Among those captured, or bred from wild larvae, in i8go, are 

 some other very red examples, and from these forms we can 

 clearly trace the extreme aberration known as curtisii. 

 Commencing with a lightish red insect with stigmata merely 

 indicated by a pale outline, we pass through deepening shades 

 of red, the inner margin also becomes proportionately darker, 

 and the secondaries are suffused with black scales, until we 

 arrive at a form in which the costal part of the primaries is 

 claret-red, the inner margin almost black, and the stigmata 

 large and distinctly outlined, the secondaries having the band 

 broad, extending along the costal margin and uniting with 

 the central spot, and the median area suffused with black 

 scales, a description which appears to agree with that of var. 

 curtisii. Some of these Forres examples go even beyond 

 this in having the whole ground of the primaries almost 

 black. 



I fear I have already taxed your patience somewhat 

 severely, but I trust that I may be permitted to call attention 

 to one or two of the more striking varieties that have not yet 

 been noticed.. 



In the last row of the Lewis series — the last one — the 

 orbicular stigma is distorted, being elongated and the top 

 flattened, this brings the upper and lower outlines so close 

 together that it has the appearance of an irregular yellow 

 spot ; an elongation of the reniform is not unusual in the 

 Lewis form, or indeed in the species generally, but I have not 

 previously noticed such an extreme case. 



In the series captured at Forres, 1888, the seventh specimen 

 from the top has the primaries of a brickdust red and the 

 stigmata small, almost black, and united by a blackish shade. 



The last of the same series has the primaries glossy black, 

 but the band of the secondaries is attenuated posteriorly, 

 much serrated on the inner margin, intersected by the first 

 median nervule and not connected with the spot, which is 

 unusually narrow, a very " multum in parvo " of minor 

 varieties of markings in conjunction with an extreme colour 

 variation. 



Although I have dwelt chiefly upon the northern forms in 

 dealing with the various phases of variation, it must not be 

 supposed that interesting varieties do not occur in districts 

 more easy of access to the majority of us, and I have little 



