﻿456 
  BRITISH 
  LEPIDOPTERA. 
  

  

  as 
  our 
  larger 
  British 
  examples 
  (see 
  infra), 
  but 
  one 
  caught 
  by 
  Chapman 
  

   at 
  Macugnaga 
  is 
  much 
  larger. 
  (Our 
  smallest 
  and 
  largest 
  British 
  

   distans 
  and 
  pilosellae 
  are 
  14'7mm. 
  and 
  20- 
  3mm., 
  and 
  15*6mm. 
  and 
  

   19mm. 
  respectively.) 
  Bossier 
  notes, 
  of 
  the 
  Hesse 
  specimens, 
  

   that 
  they 
  are 
  " 
  rather 
  large 
  in 
  size, 
  nearly 
  that 
  of 
  Marasmarcha 
  

   lunaedactyla, 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  yellowish 
  -red 
  colour, 
  mixed 
  with 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   grey." 
  Of 
  our 
  continental 
  examples 
  of 
  distans 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  following 
  

   measurements: 
  from 
  Draguignan 
  19-0mm., 
  St. 
  Michel-de-Maurienne 
  

   19-Omm., 
  Bhaetia 
  (from 
  Zeller) 
  19'4mm., 
  Macugnaga 
  22 
  , 
  0mm., 
  whilst 
  

   Norgate's 
  bred 
  Suffolk 
  examples 
  are 
  19 
  , 
  5mm., 
  so 
  that 
  whilst 
  these 
  are 
  

   above 
  the 
  size, 
  9mm. 
  x 
  2 
  = 
  18mm., 
  given 
  by 
  Hofmann 
  for 
  examples 
  from 
  

   the 
  north 
  German 
  plains, 
  Chapman's 
  large 
  example 
  from 
  Macugnaga 
  is 
  

   lmm. 
  less 
  than 
  Hofmann 
  notes 
  the 
  Alpine 
  specimens, 
  viz. 
  ,ll-5mm 
  x 
  2 
  = 
  

   23mm. 
  Speaking 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  specimens, 
  Barrett 
  notes 
  (Lep. 
  Brit. 
  Isles, 
  

   ix., 
  p. 
  366) 
  the 
  species 
  as 
  " 
  a 
  little 
  variable 
  in 
  tone 
  of 
  colour 
  and 
  the 
  

   degree 
  of 
  darker 
  dusting 
  on 
  the 
  forewings. 
  Specimens 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  

   generation, 
  taken 
  in 
  August, 
  are 
  commonly 
  paler 
  and 
  more 
  smoothly 
  

   light 
  fawn-colour 
  ; 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  June 
  emergence 
  darker 
  and 
  dusted 
  ; 
  

   these 
  last 
  seem 
  to 
  agree 
  accurately 
  with 
  Zeller's 
  distans, 
  the 
  paler 
  

   forms 
  with 
  his 
  laetus. 
  Those 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  coast 
  of 
  Kent 
  are 
  

   especially 
  soft 
  in 
  colour," 
  etc. 
  In 
  his 
  earlier 
  differentiation, 
  he 
  notes 
  

   (Ent. 
  Mo. 
  Mag., 
  xviii., 
  p. 
  178) 
  that 
  "distans 
  is 
  larger, 
  darker 
  in 
  colour, 
  

   and 
  coarser-looking 
  than 
  laetus, 
  but 
  without 
  any 
  reliable 
  difference 
  in 
  

   markings 
  between 
  typical 
  distans 
  and 
  laetus 
  received 
  from 
  Zeller. 
  

   Those 
  British 
  examples 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  laetus 
  was 
  applied, 
  were 
  

   second-brood 
  examples, 
  lighter 
  and 
  brighter- 
  coloured 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   first 
  brood, 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  larger, 
  decidedly 
  darker 
  in 
  

   colour, 
  and 
  agreed 
  accurately 
  with 
  specimens 
  of 
  distans 
  received 
  from 
  

   Zeller 
  ; 
  others, 
  however, 
  of 
  these 
  early 
  examples, 
  incline 
  towards 
  the 
  

   brighter-coloured 
  forms, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  second 
  brood 
  is 
  mostly 
  com- 
  

   posed 
  ; 
  specimens 
  taken 
  at 
  Folkestone 
  by 
  Purdey 
  (which 
  agree 
  abso- 
  

   lutely 
  with 
  continental 
  laetus 
  from 
  Zeller), 
  are 
  rather 
  paler 
  than 
  any 
  

   Brandon 
  specimens 
  I 
  have 
  seen." 
  In 
  Barrett's 
  collection 
  are 
  four 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  distans, 
  labelled 
  " 
  Bhaetia," 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  laetus, 
  labelled 
  

   "Messina," 
  all 
  received 
  from 
  Zeller; 
  these 
  are 
  now 
  in 
  Chapman's 
  

   possession, 
  and 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  referred 
  to 
  {antea 
  p. 
  454) 
  at 
  length. 
  

   South 
  considers 
  that 
  the 
  Devon 
  examples 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  laetus 
  form. 
  

   Of 
  course, 
  all 
  our 
  British 
  examples, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  is 
  known, 
  belong 
  to 
  

   one 
  species 
  only, 
  viz., 
  distans. 
  

  

  Historical 
  notes 
  on 
  Crombrugghia 
  distans 
  and 
  C. 
  ljetus. 
  — 
  

   In 
  Staudinger 
  and 
  Bebel's 
  Catalog, 
  3rd 
  ed., 
  p. 
  71, 
  laetus 
  is 
  sunk 
  as 
  

   the 
  summer 
  brood 
  of 
  distans. 
  We 
  have 
  here 
  a 
  curious 
  instance 
  of 
  

   continental 
  authorities 
  following 
  our 
  British 
  lead 
  when 
  we 
  are 
  wrong, 
  

   notwithstanding 
  an 
  often-observed 
  constitutional 
  objection 
  to 
  doing 
  so 
  

   when 
  we 
  are 
  right. 
  In 
  the 
  previous 
  edition 
  (1871) 
  they 
  were 
  kept 
  

   distinct. 
  In 
  Great 
  Britain 
  laetus 
  does 
  not 
  occur, 
  only 
  distans, 
  yet 
  for 
  

   many 
  years 
  pale 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  (distans), 
  pale 
  either 
  geographically, 
  

   seasonally, 
  or 
  from 
  fading, 
  were 
  recorded 
  and 
  accepted 
  as 
  laetus, 
  

   although 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  controversy 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  they 
  were 
  

   really 
  distinct. 
  Barrett 
  possessed 
  a 
  type 
  specimen 
  of 
  laetus 
  given 
  him 
  by 
  

   Zeller 
  (now 
  in 
  my 
  possession), 
  and, 
  since 
  we 
  now 
  know 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  difficult, 
  

   if 
  not 
  impossible, 
  to 
  say 
  positively 
  about 
  any 
  specimen 
  (or, 
  at 
  least, 
  

   about 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  specimens), 
  with 
  no 
  other 
  guidance 
  than 
  its 
  colour 
  

   and 
  wing-markings, 
  to 
  which 
  species 
  it 
  belongs, 
  it 
  was 
  very 
  natural 
  

  

  