VARIATION. 297 
Variation or CosmorricuE poratoriA.—l have bred a very fine 
series of Cosmotriche potatoria during the last season from larve found 
in this district. The males vary in colour from the typical form to 
very pale yellow, whilst some of the females are of a very peculiar 
shade of straw colour.—F. Guenny, F.E.S., The Orchard, Walsoken, 
Wisbech. October 18th, 1900. 
ABERRATIONS oF HREBIA HTHIOPS.—I spent three days, August 6th, 
&e., after Hrebia aethiops this year, and I now have a fine series, and 
am very much interested in the many aberrations and varieties it 
presents. I was fortunate enough to get one ? with six ocellated 
spots on the forewings and some fine ab. ochracea; in fact, the latter 
far outnumbered the type. I also obtained some dark males and 
females with scarcely any bands, only rings round the spots.—H. 
Mouvstsy, F.E.8., 10, Selborne Terrace, Bradford. August 30th, 1900. 
REARING THE RED ABERRATIONS OF 'HNIOCAMPA GRACILIS.—It may 
interest some lepidopterists to know that I have this year reared a few 
Taeniocampa gracilis from eges laid in captivity last year by moths 
hatched from larve taken in the New Forest the year before. Those 
emerged this spring are of the red New Forest form, and the dark 
colour has persisted in spite of the insects being reared for a genera- 
tion away from their natural home, and not on their natural food. I 
had always expected this would occur, but some entomologists have 
expressed a contrary opinion, and have averred that the darker 
coloration was simply caused by the food-plant (Myrica gale), and that 
if they were reared on dock, &c., they would revert to the pale greyish 
colour. This has now been proved not to be so.—W. M. Curisty, 
M.A., F.E.S., Watergate, Emsworth. 
TRIPHENA JANTHINA VAR. LATIMARGINATA, Roper.—As this is a 
species little liable to variation in Britain, the following description of 
a well-marked local race from Germany seems worthy of translation 
and reproduction in the Record. The original description will be found 
in the Entomologische Nachrichten, vol. xxvi., July, 1900, p. 204: 
“‘ Of this new Noctuid variety from the Harz, eleven picked examples lie before 
me. They are, without exception, somewhat smaller than equally picked specimens 
of the typical form, as figured in Hofmann’s work (‘ Die gros.-schmett. Huropas,’ 
2nd edit., 1894, pl. 32, fig. 7). The forewings are darker, and the orbicular and 
yeniform spots are more sharply marked; the hindwings are on the upper and 
under side of a deeper yellow, the black margin is much broader and continued on 
the upper side both on the costa and on the inner margin to the black base, so that 
in most specimens there is only a spot of yellow colouring left on the upper side. 
The fringes of the hindwings are in most specimens blackish at the apex and 
more striking than is the case in many examples of the type. On the under- 
side of the forewings the inner portioa is intensely black and the outer edge a 
darker yellow, in many specimens reddish-brown. The body is on the upper side 
darker and on the under side a deeper yellow.” 
T. B. Furrcuer, F.E.S., 78, Thornlaw Road, West Norwood, S.E. 
A YELLOW ABERRATION OF Noctua castanEA.—I have found Noctua 
castanea a very uncertain insect at sugar. In ten seasons I haye only had 
one in which the species came regularly to sugar all through, v7z., in 1891. 
That year I took with Mr. Bowyer, of Haileybury, eight or nine of the 
yellow form, but up to this year I have never seen it again. This year, 
from August 13th-18th, the specizs came freely to sugar and | got at 
first about 80 or 40 a night, and on each night, except the 16th, one 
yellow one. On the 19th the weather became colder and the ling 
blossom became attractive, and during the next week nothing came to 
