ANTHROCERA (lUESEMBRYNUs) PURPURALIS. 433 



This author's fig. 14 shows a specimen in which the securiform spot 

 is hardly expanded behind ; fig. 13 shows a very rounded exterior edge 

 to the securiform spot ; fig. 15, a female in which the red is much 

 expanded ; fig. 16, the securiform spot is much attenuated towards 

 the base. He also observes that the apex of the hind-wing in the 

 male has sometimes a rather broad tinge of black. In his vol. vi. 

 (appendix to vol. ii.), p. 43, he describes a form with the costa red for 

 three-fourths of its length; and then united with a very large but ill- 

 defined spot 5. The latter is united with the enlarged, but otherwise 

 indistinct, spot 4, which is only united with 2 along the middle 

 nervure on which alone 3 is joined to 5. Treitschke describes three 

 forms : (1) Alarum anticarum macula exteriori interrupta. (2) 

 Maculis confluentibus permagnis. (3) Collari humerisque flaves- 

 centibus. A difference in the scaling of specimens from various 

 localities is possibly sometimes due to the development of the scales 

 under abnormal conditions, owing to the pupa being badly placed, or 

 it may be only a result of difference of nutrition in the larval 

 stage, a factor, probably, which is also frequently responsible for 

 the difference of size observable. The smallest specimens occur 

 on stony waste places, or dry, hot, rocky slopes, on which the 

 herbage is comparatively sparse and stunted. In the amount of 

 separation between the red blotches, there is also considerable 

 variation. Those specimens in the British Museum collection, in 

 which the red blotches themselves form comparatively thin streaks, 

 are referred to ab. interrupta, Stdgr. Nolcken remarks that the speci- 

 mens from the Eussian Baltic provinces vary in size, shape, thickness 

 of antenna! club, denseness of scaling, and markings. He notes that in 

 the most extreme aberrations the 4 red spots nearest the base are 

 entirely separate from one another, while 5 and 6 are confluent across 

 nervure 5, but this form is united with the type by many transitional 

 aberrations. An example of this extreme form came from Koervast 

 (Oesel I.) on June 24th, 1848. He further remarks that the specimens 

 from the Russian Baltic provinces differ from German specimens in 

 that the spots 5 and 6 are situated considerably further from the 

 outer margin, whilst the middle cell is more filled in with red scales, no 

 specimens like Hiibner's fig. 8, which has much more pointed antennal 

 clubs, being obtained. Oberthiir notes that the specimens from Cauterets 

 (Pyrenees) are superb, large, and brightly coloured, somewhat similar 

 to those found at Zermatt, whilst the form from Ariege is smaller and 

 more vermilion than that from Cauterets. One would expect the 

 French specimens from Pont-de-1'Arche (in the Dept. Eure) and 

 Rouen to be very similar to our British examples, and probably this is 

 so. Dupont notes that in them the red blotch 3+5 extends 

 usually towards the outer edge of the fore-wings, whilst some 

 examples appear to belong to the ab. interrupta, Staud. So far as 

 we have been able to compare them, the Welsh and Irish examples 

 are rather brighter than Scotch ones from Oban, for which we are 

 indebted to Mr. Sheldon. The Welsh specimens we have vary from 

 23-27 mm., the Scotch from 25-27 mm., whilst the Irish vary from 

 23-32 mm., more examples of the latter being examined. Boisduval 

 says that the Sicilian specimens are generally larger than those from 

 other parts of Europe, and the females more yellowish. Mathew 

 found the Turkish (Gallipoli) examples measuring, on an average, a 



SB 



