MALACOSOMA NEUSTRIA. 551 



all the peculiarities of colour of the two examples just noticed, but the 

 inner line though curved basally, distinctly reaches, as in typical M. 

 neastria, the inner margin. There are some specimens (g and ? ) from the 

 "Frey coll." in the British Museum collection that are distinctly brown 

 rather than red -brown. None of the examples that we have examined, how- 

 ever, would appear to approach that which Frings describes from the 

 Bonner district of Switzerland, which he says is pale yellow in colour, 

 but with the outer half of the forewings deep red-brown, and with no 

 transverse lines. Gadge exhibited at the meeting of the South London 

 Entomological Society, September 28th, 1899, a specimen with three 

 wings, there being no trace of the left forewing. The original diagnoses 

 of the described forms appear to be as follows : 



a. ab. quercus, Esp., "Schmett. Eur.," Forts, p. 35, pi. lxxxv (contd. pi. vi), 

 fig. 3 (1790). — Alis reversis pallide ochraceis, strigis duabus arcuatis transversis, 

 runs. The normal form is of a reddish-ochreoustint with a broad dark band. In this 

 aberration the ground colour is pale yellowish, the area in the usual position of 

 the band is of the same tint as the rest of the wing, but there are two reddish- 

 brown transverse lines (Esper). This is evidently the same as ab. quercina, Selys, 

 "Ann. Soc. Ent. Belg.," i., p. 55 (1857). — The four wings pale yellow, the anteriors 

 with two dark brown transverse lines (Selys). 



Borkhausen compares {Rhein. Mat/., i., pp. 368, 369) this form 

 with the reddish-ochreous specimens which he terms vulgaris, describ- 

 ing var. quercils as : " Alis reversis flavis ; fascia sesquialtera rufa, 

 subtus unica. Esp., Forts, tab. lxxxv., fig. 3." He then states that 

 he found this latter " on oak and birch, but is still doubtful whether it 

 is a distinct species, for in the females he has found the most gentle 

 gradations between the two forms, although the extremes are con- 

 stantly different from each other, and the fringes are as chequered in 

 his examples of var. querent as in the common neastria. He comments 

 on Esper's statement that the larva has not such fine blue stripes in 

 ab. quercus, and that it is shorter than that of the common neustria, 

 but considers that the two forms should be bred from the egg before 

 querela is given specific rank. 



/3. ab. bilineatus, Haw., " Lep. Brit.," (1), p. 130 (1803) = neustria, Linne.— - 

 Bombyx bilineatus (The striped Tree Lackey). Omnino lutescens, alis anticis strigis 

 duabus cervinis. . . . Expansio alarum mar. 1 unc. (5 lin. Mas simillimus prascedenti 

 (neustrius), magnituline et statura; colore tantum dil'fert. Antennae griseae. Thorax 

 fiavescens. Abdomen flavo-grisescens. Alas omnes flavescentes, subinde tinctura 

 grisea ; anticre strigis duabus gracilibus pallide cervinis (ne3 me;lio sataratiores 

 strigis 2 flavescentibus ut in praacedente) ciliis cervinis flavisque (Haworth). This 

 evidently agrees with the Linnean type. 



y. ab. confluens, Selys, " Ann. Soc. Ent. Belg.," L, p. 53 (1857). — The two 

 transverse lines of the forewings confluent medially (Fologne has an example in 

 which the band is incomplete) (Selys). 



5. ab. annularis, Geoff., "Fourc. Ent. Paris.," ii., p. 2G2, no. 16 (1785).— Phalaena 

 annularis. La Livree. Long. 8 lign. Phalaena pecticornis elinguis, alis deflexis 

 pallidis, fascia alarum ti'ansversali saturatiore. Loc : Larva truncos arborum 

 habitat, abundans (Geaffroy). 



e. ab. ccrvina-virgata, n. ab. = neusirius, Haw., "Lep. Brit.," p. 129 (1S03). — 

 Bombyx neustrius (The barred Tree Lackey). Thorace alisque griseis, fascia 

 saturatiore media, utrinque striga pallida terminata. . . . Expansio alarum 

 mar. 1 line. 5 I'm., fern. 1 unc. 9 lin. Imago simillima prascedenti (castrensus) 

 magnitndine et statura. sed vero differt. Maris thorax cervinus nee fiavescens. 

 Alae minus lutescentes. Femina mare pallidior nee saturatior et saturate cervina 

 ut in pneccdente (Haworth). 



£. ab. vulgaris, Bork., "Rhein. Mag.," i., pp. 368, 369 (1793).— Phalaena 

 Bombyx neustria vulgaris. Alis reversis rufo-ochraceis, fascia pallidiore ilavescente 

 sesquialtero, subtus unica. Linn., no. 35. Esp., tab. xxvii., figs. 1-7. Common 

 everywhere — unfortunately ! (Borkhausen). 



rj. ?ab, unicolor, Cyr., "Entom. Neap.," p. 3, pi. Hi., fig. 6 (1787). — Bombyx 



