NOTES, CAPTURES, ETC. 16 



curred to me to experiment on the second species — C. cerogama. 

 The result was very unexpected, and served as another warning 

 to me of the danger in assuming too great a generality or rigidity 

 in the behaviour of these colours. The yellow of C. cerogama 

 was by several reagents considerably affected : in no case, it is 

 true, was the pure white of dissolution-phenomena produced, but 

 the result was a very faded yellow ; in accord with this fact this 

 species is placed in the second column on page 9. Here, then, 

 in this genus we have the very interesting fact that all stages in 

 the evolution up to red are displayed by actually living species. 

 First of all there are, it seems, species of Catocala in N. America 

 without an}^ coloured markings at all ;* next we have the type 

 of C. cerogama displaying a yellow intermediate in character 

 between the soluble yellows and the thoroughly stable ones : then 

 we have the type of palceogama, in which the colour has deepened 

 to orange — which is wholly unaffected by any reagents : and 

 lastly, we have the nupta type, in which the colour has advanced 

 to red with its usual characteristics. It seems to me extremely 

 probable that other species, if examined, might be found to 

 display intermediate stages of behaviour between these. f 



The remaining species recorded in this table I may pass 

 lightly over; merely pointing out that in H. humuli, which has 

 evolved slight pink markings, the yellow of the ground colour is 

 not dissolved, but simply modified into a " sickly yellowish " 

 (column 2 on p. 9) ; whilst in Xanthia silago, which has some- 

 what more pronounced reddish markings, the yellow is wholly 

 unaffected. It should also be noted that the pale pink of 

 Deilephila lineata does not become yellow so much as " yellowy 

 whitish," a phenomenon pointing perhaps to a partial solution 

 of the pigment : but I am not prepared to discuss this point 

 until I shall have had an opportunity of examining a larger 

 number of pink species (as distinguished from red).| 



(To be continued.) 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES, CAPTURES, &c. 



Notes from my Diary. — June 20th. — Went to the Vale of Llangollen, 

 the object being Sesia scolicBformis. Stayed at the Chain Bridge Hotel, 

 beyond Llangollen and half-way up the Vale. Sugared in the early 



* See Kirby's ' European Butterflies and Moths,' p. 269. I may add, also, that 

 in C. palcBogama the under-side of the fore wings is marked with yellow, ; so that 

 here we seem to have signs of a still further advance, — though of what use yellow 

 in such a position may be I cannot imagine. Perhaps it is simply a case of corre- 

 lation. Cf. Callunorpha hera. 



1 1 am grievously disappointed that there seems no chance of even re-acting the 

 blue of /raa;i;(t genetically with the red and yellow of other species: but the case 

 is, I fear, hopeless. See future discussion under Blue. 



\ Similar results have lately been obtained with other pink species ; these would 

 almost seem to form a separate subclass. 



