66 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Dasypolia templi, Thnh. — Mr. Birchall took six at light once 

 at Howth, and detected the larvae not unfrequently. i)r. Hart 

 also has a specimen taken there. Glenarm Castle, Co. Antrim ; 

 Greencastle, Inishowen {W. E. H.) ; Clonbrock, one {R. E. D.). 



Epunda lichenea, Hh. — Common at Howth. Mr. M. Fitzgibbon 

 took an interesting aberration of purplish grey tone there, but 

 not like the handsome purple-spotted variety found about 

 Plymouth, &c. Very abundant at Eossbeigh, Co. Kerry (Salvage), 



Epunda lutulenta, Bork. — The type does not occur in Ireland 

 to my knowledore. It is noticeable that in the English typical 

 form the shaded nervures and row of spots of hind'wings, generally 

 present in the two following varieties, are wanting. Vars. lune- 

 hurgensis, Err., and sedi, Gn., are the representatives in Ireland 

 of this species. Mr. Tutt (Brit. Noct. p. 53), in treating of the 

 former variety, has very ably cleared up the difficulty and con- 

 fusion into which I was led (Entom. xxvii. 141 by Staudinger's 

 misdescription of var. lunehurgensis, Err., and has made it very 

 plain that Freyer's name should be attached to the almost black 

 form taken in Ireland, Scotland, and in several places in England. 

 Mr. Tutt notes Morpeth, Mr. Hodgkinson took it in Lancashire, 

 and Mr. Bond had it from Cambridgeshire. In a letter, he 

 said: — "I have two males and two females with the wings 

 nearly black, and markings very faint or wholly wanting. They 

 look at first sight like E. nigra. This seems to be the most pre- 

 valent variety in the southern portion of England." He also 

 describes three var. sedi from Wales as " of silvery ash colour, 

 with the same markings as var. lunehurgensis.'' Both the 

 varieties thus described occur in Ireland, sometimes in con- 

 siderable abundance. By the distribution in England and on 

 the Continent it seems evident that they are phylogenetic 

 varieties, and their occurrence without the type in Scotland and 

 Ireland is not the result of any climatic influences at present 

 subsisting, nor has any bearing on the origin of recent melanic 

 forms. It is worth noting that as the almost unicolorous brown 

 type is locally attended by its grey unicolorous var. consimilis, 

 St., so the well-marked var. luneburgensis, with spotted and 

 rayed hind wings, is accompanied by a grey form sedi with 

 parallel characters. Such phenomena often throw light on 

 zoological problems. I have had much assistance from Mr. 

 Dobree, of Beverley, in studying the various forms of this 

 species. Var. lunehurgensis occurs on both shores of the Foyle, 

 Co. Derry ; at Kilderry (C), Magilligan, and Castlerock, where 

 Mr. Bristow took it (Mr. Birch all's record of Wicklow being an 

 error). Var. sedi, Gn., also is taken at the Foyle localities, and 

 I have specimens from thence of the trivial var. tripuncta, Err., 

 with small pale spots in the reniform ; and one approaching var. 

 albidilinea, Tutt. At Knocknarea, near Sligo, Mr. Kuss took both 



