﻿416 
  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  nearer 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  wing, 
  but 
  only 
  discernible 
  in 
  very 
  fine 
  

   specimens. 
  One 
  can, 
  therefore, 
  divide 
  our 
  British 
  examples 
  into 
  the 
  

   following 
  groups 
  : 
  

  

  1. 
  Fuscous-brown 
  with 
  abundant 
  white 
  markings 
  = 
  ab. 
  variegata, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  la. 
  Fuscous-brown 
  with 
  the 
  white 
  lobal 
  lines 
  and 
  the 
  fissural 
  spot 
  only 
  = 
  

   parvidactyla 
  , 
  Haw. 
  

  

  lb. 
  Fuscous-brown 
  with 
  the 
  fissural 
  spot 
  and 
  lobal 
  lines 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  obsolete 
  

   = 
  ab. 
  obsoleta, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  2. 
  Golden-brown 
  (or 
  chocolate-brown 
  with 
  a 
  golden 
  tinge) 
  with 
  abundant 
  white 
  

   markings 
  = 
  ab. 
  clar 
  a 
  -variegata, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  2a. 
  Golden-brown 
  (or 
  chocolate-brown 
  with 
  a 
  golden 
  tinge) 
  with 
  the 
  white 
  

   lobal 
  lines 
  and 
  the 
  fissural 
  spot 
  only 
  = 
  ab. 
  clara, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  2b. 
  Golden-brown 
  (or 
  chocolate-brown 
  with 
  a 
  golden 
  tinge) 
  with 
  the 
  fissural 
  

   spot 
  and 
  lobal 
  lines 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  obsolete 
  = 
  ab. 
  clara-obsoleta, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  

  

  In 
  size, 
  we 
  should 
  call 
  examples 
  above 
  16mm. 
  ab. 
  major, 
  n. 
  ab., 
  below 
  

   13mm. 
  ab. 
  minor, 
  n. 
  ab. 
  One 
  observes, 
  in 
  looking 
  through 
  the 
  Frey 
  

   collection, 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  considerable 
  difference 
  in 
  size. 
  The 
  tint 
  of 
  the 
  

   wings 
  varies 
  from 
  brown, 
  inclining 
  to 
  golden, 
  to 
  a 
  deep 
  fuscous-brown. 
  

   Some 
  slight 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  obliquity 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  transverse 
  lines 
  

   across 
  the 
  upper 
  lobe 
  is 
  noticeable 
  ; 
  the 
  inner 
  one, 
  often 
  nearly 
  

   vertical, 
  is 
  occasionally 
  somewhat 
  oblique, 
  whilst 
  now 
  and 
  again 
  the 
  

   outer 
  one 
  inclines 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  zigzag 
  form 
  ; 
  occasionally 
  both 
  these 
  lines 
  

   are 
  inconspicuous, 
  and 
  inclined 
  to 
  approach 
  the 
  ground-colour 
  in 
  tint. 
  

   The 
  apical 
  costal 
  edge, 
  sometimes 
  white, 
  is, 
  at 
  other 
  times, 
  ochreous 
  ; 
  

   the 
  white 
  fissural 
  dot 
  is 
  sometimes 
  extended 
  towards 
  the 
  costa, 
  and 
  

   the 
  basal 
  area 
  is 
  sometimes 
  thinly 
  scaled 
  with 
  white 
  ; 
  the 
  white 
  dots 
  on 
  

   the 
  marginal 
  fringe 
  vary 
  considerably 
  in 
  intensity. 
  An 
  example 
  from 
  

   Vienna 
  looks 
  very 
  like 
  pilosellae. 
  Snellen 
  notes 
  it 
  as 
  the 
  smallest 
  Oxyptilid 
  

   species, 
  also 
  the 
  darkest 
  coloured, 
  adding 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  pilosellae 
  

   approach 
  nearly 
  to 
  obscurus 
  in 
  their 
  dark 
  colour, 
  but 
  have 
  always 
  a 
  redder 
  

   tint, 
  whilst 
  the 
  scale-tuft 
  on 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  will 
  always 
  distinguish 
  

   them. 
  Zeller, 
  in 
  describing 
  this 
  species 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  obscurus, 
  says 
  

   (Linn. 
  Ent., 
  vi., 
  p. 
  354) 
  that, 
  in 
  size, 
  it 
  is 
  like 
  a 
  small 
  P. 
  tristis, 
  

   belonging, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  the 
  group 
  of 
  smallest 
  species, 
  although 
  in 
  the 
  

   formation 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  scale-tuft 
  of 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  it 
  agrees 
  with 
  P. 
  

   trichodactylus 
  and 
  P. 
  ericetorum 
  ; 
  instead, 
  however, 
  of 
  the 
  whitish 
  line, 
  

   which, 
  in 
  these 
  species, 
  stretches 
  into 
  the 
  fringe 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   second 
  lobe, 
  this 
  presents 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  pure 
  white. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  browner, 
  

   with 
  less 
  reddish-yellow 
  in 
  its 
  tint. 
  Its 
  nearest 
  relative 
  is 
  P. 
  

   marginellus, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  differs 
  more 
  markedly 
  in 
  the 
  cleft 
  of 
  the 
  

   forewings, 
  which 
  only 
  extends 
  over 
  the 
  outer 
  third, 
  and 
  not 
  right 
  up 
  

   to 
  the 
  centre, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  white 
  fringes 
  of 
  the 
  front 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  

   lobe 
  being 
  narrower, 
  whilst 
  those 
  round 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  

   of 
  the 
  hindwings 
  are 
  whiter, 
  and 
  have 
  the 
  white 
  fringe-area 
  more 
  

   extended. 
  In 
  1847, 
  Zeller 
  had 
  already 
  noted 
  (Isis, 
  xii., 
  p. 
  793) 
  a 
  ? 
  

   from 
  Maori, 
  a 
  trifle 
  worn 
  and 
  faded, 
  so 
  that 
  its 
  colour 
  agreed 
  with 
  the 
  

   lightest 
  local 
  (Glogau) 
  specimens, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  appeared 
  only 
  to 
  

   differ 
  in 
  that 
  — 
  (1) 
  The 
  first 
  transverse 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  lobe 
  is 
  broad, 
  

   and 
  continued 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  lobe 
  almost 
  as 
  distinctly 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  ; 
  

   it 
  is 
  not 
  such 
  a 
  pure 
  white, 
  nor 
  so 
  sharply 
  defined, 
  as 
  usual, 
  and 
  appears 
  

   to 
  be 
  less 
  slanting. 
  (2) 
  The 
  second 
  transverse 
  line 
  is 
  also 
  broader 
  

   than 
  in 
  our 
  obscurus, 
  on 
  the 
  low 
  T 
  er 
  lobe 
  with 
  a 
  larger 
  dash 
  in 
  the 
  

   fringes. 
  (3) 
  On 
  the 
  hindwings 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  3rd 
  plumule 
  is 
  whitish 
  ; 
  

   on 
  the 
  front 
  edge 
  are 
  several 
  minute 
  white 
  scales, 
  more 
  numerous 
  on 
  

  

  