﻿276 
  

  

  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  variation, 
  being 
  of 
  a 
  fairly 
  uniform 
  ground 
  colour, 
  and 
  without 
  striking 
  

  

  markings, 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  England, 
  Scotland 
  and 
  Ireland, 
  

  

  show 
  much 
  more 
  marked 
  variation 
  in 
  their 
  local 
  characteristics. 
  The 
  

  

  specimens 
  from 
  Glengariff 
  are 
  almost 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  and 
  general 
  

  

  appearance 
  as 
  our 
  south 
  of 
  England 
  specimens, 
  perhaps 
  a 
  little 
  paler 
  in 
  

  

  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  forewing, 
  but 
  those 
  from 
  Sligo 
  are 
  a 
  very 
  marked 
  

  

  race, 
  rather 
  below 
  average 
  size, 
  bright 
  in 
  tint, 
  of 
  an 
  almost 
  unicolorous 
  

  

  reddish 
  hue, 
  with 
  rosy 
  tint: 
  the 
  costa 
  narrowly, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  costal 
  

  

  triangle 
  and 
  the 
  lobal 
  band, 
  of 
  a 
  rather 
  darker 
  reddish 
  or 
  reddish-brown 
  

  

  hue, 
  with 
  pale 
  shading 
  outside 
  the 
  costal 
  triangle, 
  and 
  a 
  pale 
  line 
  across 
  

  

  the 
  lobes 
  of 
  fore 
  wing 
  = 
  var. 
  hibernica, 
  n. 
  var. 
  Strangely, 
  our 
  nearest 
  

  

  example 
  to 
  this 
  race, 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  colour, 
  comes 
  from 
  Kingsdown, 
  in 
  Kent, 
  

  

  where, 
  however, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  pure 
  aberration. 
  The 
  specimens 
  from 
  

  

  Aberdeen 
  are 
  very 
  fine, 
  large 
  in 
  size, 
  almost 
  slaty 
  in 
  hue, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  

  

  violet 
  tinge 
  in 
  the 
  median 
  area 
  of 
  forewings 
  ; 
  the 
  costa 
  deep 
  red-brown, 
  as 
  

  

  also 
  is 
  the 
  costal 
  triangle 
  and 
  lobal 
  band. 
  Beyond 
  the 
  lobal 
  line 
  the 
  

  

  outer 
  marginal 
  area 
  is 
  almost 
  white, 
  as 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  shading 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  

  

  edge 
  of 
  the 
  costal 
  triangle 
  ; 
  the 
  costa 
  itself, 
  however, 
  is 
  little 
  spotted 
  

  

  = 
  var. 
  scotica. 
  An 
  almost 
  similar 
  example 
  came 
  from 
  Ben 
  Donich 
  ; 
  

  

  but 
  the 
  most 
  remarkable 
  specimen 
  in 
  our 
  collection 
  came 
  also 
  from 
  the 
  

  

  heathery 
  slopes 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  Ben 
  Donich, 
  above 
  Locbgoilhead. 
  This 
  

  

  is 
  a 
  brilliant 
  (rather 
  small) 
  specimen 
  of 
  var. 
  scotica 
  in 
  its 
  most 
  extreme 
  

  

  form, 
  the 
  slaty-white 
  and 
  red 
  standing 
  out 
  in 
  striking 
  contrast, 
  but 
  

  

  with 
  the 
  costa 
  as 
  conspicuously 
  spotted 
  with 
  white 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  best 
  

  

  marked 
  p 
  unctidacty 
  la 
  = 
  ab. 
  varieyata, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  Of 
  the 
  dwarf 
  "heath" 
  race, 
  

  

  from 
  Selby, 
  mention 
  is 
  made 
  below 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  melanic 
  form 
  of 
  this 
  dwarf 
  

  

  variety 
  in 
  the 
  " 
  Frey 
  collection," 
  at 
  the 
  Natural 
  History 
  Museum, 
  is 
  

  

  worthy 
  of 
  study. 
  The 
  other 
  dwarf 
  race, 
  var. 
  calaminthae, 
  grey 
  in 
  tint, 
  of 
  

  

  which 
  the 
  types 
  are 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  "Frey 
  collection," 
  is 
  also 
  dealt 
  with 
  infra. 
  

  

  The 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  species 
  is, 
  on 
  the 
  whole, 
  therefore, 
  more 
  particularly 
  

  

  noticeable 
  perhaps 
  in 
  size 
  than 
  in 
  tint, 
  and 
  the 
  Selby 
  form 
  and 
  

  

  var. 
  calaminthae 
  appear 
  to 
  be, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  quite 
  dwarf 
  races. 
  Of 
  this 
  

  

  size 
  variation, 
  Bankes 
  notes: 
  "In 
  general, 
  all 
  the 
  specimens 
  that 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  bred 
  and 
  captured, 
  whether 
  on 
  the 
  heaths 
  or 
  elsewhere, 
  

  

  both 
  in 
  Devon 
  and 
  Dorset, 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  good 
  size, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  

  

  showing 
  an 
  expanse 
  of 
  wing 
  of 
  22mm., 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  23mm. 
  

  

  My 
  smallest 
  and 
  palest 
  individual, 
  bred 
  from 
  Stachys 
  sylvatica 
  in 
  1892, 
  

  

  only 
  expands 
  16mm., 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  met 
  with 
  any 
  nearly 
  so 
  small 
  in 
  

  

  nature. 
  The 
  Rev. 
  C. 
  D. 
  Ash, 
  however, 
  takes 
  examples 
  of 
  a 
  dwarfed 
  race 
  

  

  near 
  Selby, 
  Yorks, 
  of 
  which 
  my 
  two 
  representatives 
  only 
  have 
  an 
  expanse 
  

  

  of 
  14mm., 
  and 
  17mm. 
  respectively. 
  Such 
  small 
  examples 
  might 
  be 
  

  

  called 
  ab. 
  minor, 
  n. 
  ab." 
  Of 
  the 
  colour 
  variation, 
  Bankes 
  writes 
  (in 
  

  

  litt.) 
  : 
  " 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  ab. 
  nivea, 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  no 
  extreme 
  

  

  colour 
  aberrations 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  but, 
  among 
  some 
  1300 
  bred 
  

  

  specimens, 
  the 
  ground 
  colour 
  varies 
  from 
  pale 
  ashy-brown, 
  through 
  

  

  bright 
  red-brown, 
  to 
  dark 
  reddish-brown, 
  relieved, 
  of 
  course, 
  in 
  each 
  

  

  case 
  by 
  a 
  powdering, 
  or 
  partial 
  clouding, 
  of 
  whitish 
  scales." 
  Hofmann 
  

  

  writes: 
  "Coloration 
  of 
  the 
  forewings 
  in 
  the 
  typical 
  form 
  ferruginous- 
  

  

  brown 
  or 
  reddish-brown, 
  but 
  intermediate 
  forms 
  in 
  brown-grey 
  of 
  

  

  different 
  depths 
  also 
  occur." 
  We 
  may 
  here 
  note 
  the 
  acanthodactyla 
  

  

  var. 
  a 
  of 
  South 
  (Ent., 
  xxii., 
  pp. 
  31-32), 
  which 
  is 
  described 
  as 
  having 
  

  

  " 
  forewings 
  ochreous-grey 
  with 
  a 
  rosy 
  tinge 
  ; 
  markings 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  type, 
  but 
  

  

  more 
  clearly 
  defined, 
  and 
  with 
  oblique 
  striae, 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  character 
  

  

  in 
  punctidactyla 
  (cosmodactyla) 
  , 
  but 
  not 
  so 
  conspicuous," 
  and 
  which 
  was 
  

  

  