THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 47 



there is also Scriplura, Fr. tab. 255, 2. There is not the 

 slightest doubt that all of them are only varieties or aber- 

 rations of the Australis of Boisduval, which is the Ingenua of 

 Treitschke, and the Orientalis of Herrich-Schaeffer, the 

 almost uniformly dark variety, (and) Scriptura, the transition 

 to it. The originals (types) are all from Crete, or at all 

 events from the East. Such specimens occur near Montpel- 

 lier, where I had formerly the opportunity of selecting from 

 hundreds of Australis. The English specimens of Australis, 

 which have very sharp markings (black and white) are very 

 peculiar, and the dark variety seems never to occur. This 

 form quite merits to be mentioned in our Catalogues as var, 

 britannica. 



3. Xylina Lambda of Fabricius, Somniculosa of Hering, 

 Rubescens of Menetries. — Even to this day there stands in 

 Treitschke's collection the type of Noctua Lambda of 

 Fabricius (Ent. Syst. iii. 2, p. 106, No. 317), a species 

 which has been discussed at some length by Treitschke 

 (vol iii. p. 18). This Lambda of Fabricius is doubtless 

 identical with the subsequently described Somniculosa of 

 Hering (Stett. Ent. Zeit. 1851, p. 165), or the still sub- 

 sequent RubescenS (Men. Etud. Ent. 1859), as the specimen 

 seemed to me to be a sharper-marked one. The Fabrician 

 indication of the markings of the fore wings, "Lineola 

 baseos duabusque in medio atris," also applies better to the 

 sharper-marked variety Rubescens of Menetries. I therefore 

 believe that this Lambda came originally from Lapland, 

 whence it is known that Herr Schneider, of Stralsund, from 

 whom Fabricius received the specimen, often obtained col- 

 lections, and where the species is not scarce. Although 

 I regard thisTorm, as Treitschke had previously done, to be 

 only a variety of Zinckenii, yet as a well-defined local form 

 it^^must keep its name, and must now stand as 



Lambda, Fah. Ent. Syst. iii. 2, p. 106; Rubescens, Men. 

 Ft. Ent. (Europa Cor.) 



Var. Somniculosa, Stett. Ent. Zeit. 1851, p. 165 (Ger- 

 mania Sept-Or.) 



F«r. ^j^Zinckenii, TV. v. 3, 16 (Germania Sept-Occ.) 



O. Staudingek. 



