142 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



[July 



the name distans to our insect, and, I think, very Httle doubt that IcbUis 

 is a variety of the same species. I admit a little doubt on the point, 

 seeing that a very few specimens have been taken at Folkestone of an 

 Oxyptihis, which agrees absolutely w^ith Continental IcrUis, but is rather 

 paler than any Brandon specimens I have seen, and, as far as I know, 

 the distans form has not been taken at Folkestone. Probably this 

 only requires looking for, but it would, doubtless, be rare in that 

 neighbourhood. I think I am at liberty to say that Prof. Zeller is 

 also now of opinion that distans and IcBtus form but one species." 

 That Icetns is simply the second brood of distans appears to be perfectly 

 certain. The first brood at Deal is dark like the Brandon and Thet- 

 fdrd distans, while the second brood is much paler and generally 

 smaller. I have specimens from Dover and Folkestone in my col- 

 lection quite as dark as the darkest Norfolk specimens. But the 

 month following Mr. Barrett's explicit note on the species, Mr. South 

 wrote his first instalment of the Contributions to the history of 

 the British Pterophori," and apparently in direct opposition to Mr. 

 Barrett's views of the previous month, stated : — " The insect taken in 

 Norfolk, and hitherto referred, to this species, should be labelled distans, 

 Zell., in our cabinets. I was fortunate enough to meet with the true 

 Icdtns in North Devon during' the last week in July," but only secured 

 tliree specimens. 1 understand that in Kent and North Devon are 

 the only ]>:nown British localities for Icrtus, and at neither place has 

 distans been seen. On the other hand, in Norfolk, at the locality for 

 distans, Icrtus does not appear to occur (" Entomologist," Vol. XV., 

 p. 35). Mr. South then entered into riiinute differences and considered 

 tliat they formed " trustworthy points of distinction." This state- 

 ment entirely ignored all the work tliat had been done by Prof. Zeller, 

 Dr. Jordan and Mr. C. G. Barrett ; l)ut after waiting several 

 years Mr. South wrote : — " Examination .of an extensive 

 series of 0. distans has convinced me that I vv^as Vv^rong in 

 my conclusion (that distans and la-tns were distinct). The points 

 of difference I relied on will not hold, and lo'tns must sink as a 

 species" ("Entomologist," Vol. XX[1., p. 33). Thus after seven 

 years, Isiv. South had arrived at exactly the same result that 

 Mr. Barrett had reached a month before Mr. South commenced to 

 write about the "plumes", by exactly the same process — the examina- 



* The very date Mr. Barrett had previously given for the second hrood=latus. — J.W.T. 



