ANTHROCERA FILIPENDUL.E. 513 



Hubner first figured (Eur. Schmett., fig. 166) the form of this 

 species in which 5 + 6 are joined to the central and basal spots, but 

 in his figure, 2 is separated from 1 by a fine green nervure, the formula 

 being 1 + 3 + 4 + 5+6 and 2. The figure represents a male, and 

 the blotch is not quite symmetrical on both sides ; 1 stretches along 

 the costa, joining 3 which reaches costa, 3 is joined to 4 + 6, and 5 

 united to 6. Hind-wings with a rather wide marginal border. 

 Oberthiir notes that he has taken two specimens at Cancale with the 

 spots confluent throughout , the whole length of the wing. 



f. ab. grisescens, Oberth.," Etudes," etc., livr. xx., " Var. chez Lep.," p. 45, 

 pi. viii., fig. 135 (1896).— The upper wings of a pale greyish-blue, the hind-wings of a 

 very pale rose tint in place of the normal red colour. England (Oberthiir). 



The specimen appears to be, judging from the figure, a patholo- 

 gical aberration, little pigmented, having lost the rich depth of tint 

 that characterises the type. Bouttell records the capture of a " pale 

 form ".at Leigh, Essex, in 1890, which may belong here. 



-q. ab. flava, Robson, "Young Nat.," v., p. 236 (1884); Oberth., " Var. chez 

 Lep.," p. 43, pi. viii., fig. 133 (1896). Gerinus, Eobs. and Gard., " List Brit. Lep.," 

 p. 7 (? 1885) ; South, " Entom.," xxiv., p. 233 (1891) ; Eobs., Ibid., p. 296. Lutes- 

 cens, Ckll., "Entom.," xx., p. 151 (1887); Tutt, "Brit. Moths," p. 352 (1896); 

 Smart, " Ent. Rec," x., p. 227 (1898). Gitrinus, Webb, " Ent. Eecord," i., p. 33 

 (1890). — The hind-wings, and spots on fore-wings yellow (Robson). 



Oberthiir makes (Bull. Soc. Ent. France, 1887, p. lxxvi) some brief 

 remarks on certain yellow specimens of A. filipenclulae, bought at the 

 sale of Sheppard's collection — four belonged to a small race, and were 

 rather specialised, their colour might be called " lutea " (? = hippo- 

 crepidis,. Stephs.) ; three others were of a larger race, and of a clearer 

 yellow tint that might be termed " flava." Madingley chalk-pit was 

 the once famous locality for the yellow forms of this species, but 

 even the type is now practically extinct there, about 20 years ago 

 one collector took over 200 pupa3 in one day, 60 of which produced the 

 yellow form ; as the chalk-pit is quite a small one, this wholesale 

 collecting no doubt exterminated the species there (Farren) ; six 

 examples bred from cocoons collected near Cambridge, in 1876 

 (Bairstow). Bichardson notes (E.M.M., xxv., p. 290) that he 

 collected about 700 pupa? from a chalk-pit near Cambridge, and bred 

 five or six examples of the yellow aberration, the area over which the 

 colony was spread being confined to the old chalk-pit. He further 

 records the aberration as occurring on some of the downs at Win- 

 chester (July, 1874, etc.), and finds it very uniformly pale yellow 

 in colour. He notes also its occurrence at Bidgeway, and on some 

 hills at a short distance from Weymouth. The yellow aberration 

 does not appear to occur at Worthing, for Fletcher, on one evening, 

 collected 1,200 cocoons, but did not breed a single yellow one. 

 The following records have been noticed : — Somewhat abundant 

 at Winchester in 1868, again in 1872, also in some plenty July 

 14th, 1873, bred specimens in 1875, and again bred several in 

 1876 (Forbes) ; a cream-coloured one at Egg Buckland, nr. Plymouth 

 (F. Briggs) ; one on the Laird Embankment, about two miles from 

 Plymouth (ante 1873, T. B. Briggs), single specimens from Caterham, 

 first week in August, 1871 (Wells), nr. Finchley, 1873 (Thomas), nr. 

 Maidstone, July, 1873 (Elgar), one nr. Maidstone (Ponton), Cuxton 

 (Walker), Folkestone (Anderson), Newbury (Sladen), one, bred, at 

 Thorley, also occurs in the Sunderland district (Hodgkinson), Box 



