314 BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



hindwings is more speckled with white scales than usual. The underside 

 differs in that both forewings show the orange colour of normal g s, 

 that of left wing more developed than that of right ; on the other hand 

 the hindwings which differ so markedly on upperside do not differ so notice- 

 ably on underside, being both more nearly like a normal ? than $ , although 

 they show tiaces ot colouring of latter sex in costal area above ocellated spot. 

 The antennas with long plumules compared with those of normal ? s and with 

 numerous dark hairs fringing them as in normal s s ; the pectinations, however, are 

 very slight compared with those of <? s. Coll. Mera (Bacot, ire litt.). 



Teratological examples of S. pavonia. — (i) A male with 

 narrow wings, the forewings with the basal half of costa strongly 

 excised and concave, the left hindwing with the apical part ol costa 

 excised (Hampson, E.M.M., xxxvii., p. 118). (2) A specimen 

 with five wings bred at Tenby (Proc. Ent. Soe. Lond., 1888, p. xv). 



Variation. — This cannot be considered as at all a variable 

 species. There are very few records of striking aberrations having 

 fallen into the hands of collectors, nor is there any marked tendency 

 to the development of local races. Allen notices that Irish examples 

 are large compared with those from Lancashire ; Norman observes 

 that Morayshire specimens are smaller and less richly-coloured than 

 those from York, whilst Gordon considers the Wigtownshire 

 females to be darker and more richly-coloured than those 

 from the New Forest. Warburg states that vS. pavonia from 

 Cannes are larger, brighter and more thickly scaled than any English 

 specimens ; and Calberla has named a bright form from southern 

 Italy, var. meridionalis. There is aslight amount of variation in the 

 intensity of the ground colour of both sexes, in the amount of 

 crimson shading, in the clearness of the transverse lines on the 

 forewings, and the intensity of the lines on the hindwings. The 

 best $ aberration that we have has the forewings of a darker 

 ground colour, less red than usual, the discal area very white, the 

 ocellated spot unusually dark, the hindwings also yellow instead of 

 orange (ab. lutescens, n. ab.) ; and the best ? has the forewings of a 

 darker ground colour than usual, the hindwings much darker, a 

 smoky hue suffusing all the paler areas (ab. infumata), evidently 

 a ? form agreeing with the $ described by Newnham under this 

 name {posted p. 316). Two small $ s, evidently resulting from bad 

 feeding, have a very greasy appearance, the markings of the fore- 

 wings all washed out, and the hindwings with the usual darker 

 transverse lines almost obsolete (ab. sitbobsoleta, n. ab.). Whitaker 

 mentions (/./.) two $ aberrations, one 57mm., the other 63mm. in 

 expanse, one with only one band between the hind margin and 

 ocellated spot on hindwing, the other with a narrow, inner, 

 secondary one nearer the ocellated spot; the smaller one, between this 

 band and outer margin, is of a deep orange colour, shading into brown; 

 in the larger the colour is wholly brown (except the pink band). Ellis 

 records a $ from Bolton with the whole of the markings so suffused 

 with the dark ground colour that the insect appears nearly black. 

 Hodgkinson records (Ent., xxv., p. 145) an aberration taken on 

 the Scottish border with a black band and a jet-black patch about 

 |in. in width near shoulder. Gordon notes a $ with the normally pale 

 markings quite red (ab. rosacea), taken at Corsemalzie in 1898; Hewett 

 has a $ with the left hindwing very pale, and one very dark $ 

 from Yorks. Mitchell notes a dark $ showing distinct melanochroic 

 tendencies bred from a Wicken larva (Ent. Record, viii., p. 184). Wood 



