﻿AMBLYPTILIA 
  PUNCTIDACTYLA. 
  301 
  

  

  strongly 
  pronounced 
  and 
  clearly 
  denned. 
  Differing 
  markedly 
  from 
  the 
  

   still 
  paler 
  ab. 
  albida, 
  I 
  would 
  propose 
  that 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  known 
  as 
  ab. 
  

   ossea, 
  n. 
  ab., 
  since 
  the 
  name 
  tesseradactyla 
  is 
  not 
  available 
  for 
  it. 
  

   The 
  species 
  seems 
  fairly 
  constant 
  in 
  size, 
  nor 
  have 
  I 
  seen 
  any 
  strikingly 
  

   large, 
  or 
  strikingly 
  small, 
  individuals." 
  Haworth's 
  original 
  description 
  

   of 
  tesseradactyla 
  (Lep. 
  Brit., 
  p. 
  479) 
  reads 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  " 
  Alucita 
  (The 
  

   marbled 
  plume) 
  alis 
  patentibus 
  fissis 
  cinereo 
  nebulosis, 
  posticis 
  fusco 
  

   nebulosis," 
  a 
  mere 
  copy 
  of 
  the 
  Fabrician 
  description 
  under 
  this 
  name. 
  

   The 
  American 
  examples 
  vary 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  18mm. 
  -23mm., 
  and 
  also 
  in 
  

   the 
  intensity 
  of 
  the 
  markings, 
  so 
  much 
  so 
  that, 
  at 
  first, 
  Walsingham 
  

   had 
  doubts 
  whether 
  the 
  examples 
  (50) 
  he 
  captured 
  might 
  not 
  be 
  separated 
  

   into 
  at 
  least 
  two 
  species 
  ; 
  but 
  " 
  a 
  careful 
  comparison 
  of 
  these 
  with 
  a 
  

   series 
  of 
  the 
  European 
  form, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  perfectly 
  regular 
  and 
  gentle 
  

   gradations 
  of 
  size 
  and 
  colour 
  by 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  distinguished, 
  tend 
  to 
  

   prove 
  that 
  they 
  all 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  species. 
  Zeller, 
  in 
  his 
  abstract 
  

   of 
  Wallengren's 
  " 
  Scandinaviens 
  Fjadermott 
  " 
  (Stett. 
  Ent. 
  Ztg., 
  1867), 
  

   treats 
  cosmodactyla, 
  Hb., 
  as 
  identical 
  with 
  ulodactyla, 
  Zett., 
  and 
  

   acanthadactyla 
  , 
  Hb., 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  to 
  him 
  for 
  specimens 
  of 
  what 
  

   he 
  understands 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  last 
  of 
  these 
  three 
  names. 
  The 
  two 
  

   forms 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  so 
  kindly 
  sent 
  me 
  are 
  certainly 
  included 
  in 
  my 
  

   American 
  series, 
  of 
  which 
  three 
  varieties 
  are 
  here 
  figured 
  [Pteroph. 
  

   Calif. 
  Orey., 
  pi. 
  ii., 
  figs. 
  2, 
  3, 
  4) 
  to 
  facilitate 
  identification." 
  There 
  can 
  be 
  

   no 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  examples 
  figured 
  by 
  Walsingham 
  are 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  but 
  

   of 
  forms 
  hardly 
  known 
  in 
  Britain. 
  The 
  first 
  example 
  (fig. 
  2) 
  is 
  one 
  

   tinged 
  with 
  flesh-colour 
  or 
  light 
  brownish 
  = 
  ab. 
  approximata, 
  n. 
  ab., 
  

   giving 
  one 
  a 
  suspicion 
  of 
  the 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  disc 
  of 
  the 
  forewing 
  of 
  pale 
  

   cosmodactyla. 
  The 
  second 
  (fig. 
  3) 
  is 
  possibly 
  the 
  same 
  as, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  

   very 
  near, 
  ab. 
  albida, 
  Bankes 
  ; 
  whilst 
  the 
  third 
  (fig. 
  4) 
  is 
  ashy-grey, 
  and 
  

   possibly 
  represents 
  a 
  very 
  extreme 
  ab. 
  of 
  the 
  form 
  described 
  as 
  ulodac- 
  

   tyla, 
  Zett., 
  and 
  which 
  we 
  name 
  below 
  ah.extreina, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  The 
  series 
  in 
  the 
  

   " 
  Frey 
  " 
  collection 
  is 
  something 
  in 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  a 
  revelation 
  to 
  those 
  

   who 
  collect 
  only 
  British 
  examples. 
  Here 
  one 
  finds, 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  

   var. 
  stachydalis 
  (evidently 
  the 
  bred 
  types, 
  with 
  their 
  pupa-cases) 
  two 
  

   specially 
  ochreous-green 
  examples 
  from 
  Zurich. 
  The 
  first 
  two 
  examples 
  

   in 
  the 
  series 
  of 
  what 
  were 
  evidently 
  considered, 
  by 
  Frey, 
  typical 
  " 
  cosmo- 
  

   dactyla," 
  are 
  not 
  unlike 
  ordinary 
  British 
  pioictidactyla, 
  Haworth, 
  an 
  

   ochreous-grey, 
  or 
  slightly-greenish 
  grey, 
  tint 
  pervading 
  the 
  wings, 
  and 
  

   the 
  markings 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  darkly 
  or 
  clearly 
  marked 
  ; 
  moderately 
  typical 
  

   examples. 
  Then 
  come 
  10 
  dark 
  strongly-marked 
  specimens, 
  such 
  as 
  

   we 
  rarely, 
  if 
  ever, 
  get 
  in 
  Britain. 
  (The 
  nearest 
  approach 
  to 
  this 
  form 
  

   among 
  British 
  examples 
  conies 
  from 
  Oxton, 
  Devon.) 
  In 
  these, 
  there 
  is 
  

   practically 
  no 
  tinge 
  of 
  green, 
  the 
  ground 
  colour 
  is 
  ashy 
  or 
  grey, 
  in 
  which, 
  

   occasionally, 
  a 
  little 
  brown 
  is 
  mixed, 
  the 
  whole 
  strongly 
  speckled 
  with 
  

   black 
  scaling, 
  which, 
  in 
  the 
  darkest 
  examples, 
  practically 
  Mots 
  out 
  the 
  

   ground 
  colour, 
  leaving 
  us 
  with 
  an 
  almost 
  blackish 
  insect, 
  finely 
  crossed 
  

   transversely 
  with 
  delicate 
  white 
  lines 
  ; 
  the 
  triangular 
  costal 
  blotch 
  

   black-brown, 
  the 
  outer 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  lobes 
  also 
  blaok, 
  with 
  a 
  whitish 
  

   transverse 
  line 
  crossing 
  the 
  dark 
  area, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  few, 
  scattered, 
  white 
  

   scales 
  thereon 
  ; 
  the 
  pale 
  lunular 
  mark, 
  outside 
  the 
  triangular 
  costal 
  

   blotch, 
  conspicuous. 
  The 
  hindwings 
  are 
  correspondingly 
  dark. 
  The 
  

   paler 
  forms 
  of 
  this 
  Zurich 
  race, 
  in 
  which 
  bheaskry 
  colour 
  is 
  predominant 
  

   over 
  the 
  brown-black 
  or 
  fuscous-black 
  markings, 
  comprise, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  the 
  

   ulodactyla 
  of 
  Zetfcerstedt. 
  There 
  is 
  little 
  doubt 
  also, 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  var. 
  

   d 
  of 
  Zeller 
  (/gig, 
  L841, 
  p. 
  785), 
  described 
  as 
  " 
  alis 
  antenoribus 
  eineras- 
  

  

  