i892.] 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



43 



General Notes. 



NocTUA coNFLUA, Tr. — However excellently a summarised report"^ 

 of a comprehensive scientific paper be drawn up, it is impossible to 

 get an exact statement of facts in a few words. The paper "On 

 Noctua f estiva and N. conflua'' (which was already in print as a part of 

 " British Noctuae and their Vars.," Vol. II, when I read it at the City 

 of London Society's Meeting), is published verbatim in the December 

 No. of the "Entomologist's Record," &c. It will there be seen, 

 (p. 267), that the statement to which Mr. South takes objection, was 

 simply used by me in a quotation made from Dr. Mason's writing, 

 ** Entomologist's Monthly Magazine," XXVI., p. ig8, where he states 

 of conjiua'. "Very abundant and variable; this was,first described as a 

 species from Icelandic speeimens, and differs from the form usually called 

 A^. festiva var. conflua in British collections, in its smaller size." 

 Of Dr. Mason's authority for this statement I know nothing, (although 

 I daresay it is right, as Guenee gives Iceland as one of the two known 

 localities in 1852), but Mr. South says "The words would never have 

 been uttered by anyone who was acquainted with the facts of the 

 case." It is interesting to think that this statement was put as my 

 own in the report, since it has drawn such a strong expression of 

 opmion from Mr. South, although the original statement was passed 

 unheeded. When Mr. South has time to read my paper carefully, he 

 will see that I, personally, make no such statement. 



I am interested that Mr. South has unearthed the fact that 

 Duponchel states that Treitschke sent a Noctua under the name of 

 conflua to Boisduval ; but, conversant as Mr. South ought to be with 

 Staudinger and Wocke's "Catalog," he must know that his suggestion 

 of conflua being a MS. name is idle, and that all synonymists are 

 agreed that the description from Treitschke's "Schmet. von Europa,'' 

 Vol. v., p. 405, is the type description, and that neither Duponchel 

 nor Boisduval had anything to do with naming the species. Boisduval 

 (who received a specimen from Treitschke according to Mr. South) 

 figures in his "Icones," plate 83, a real Icelandic looking conflua. 

 Now Boisduval and Guenee wrote the "Species general des Lep."' 

 (" Noctuelles") between them, and since Guenee gives as localities 

 lor conflua "Iceland and Prussia" ("Noctuelles," v., p. 332), it is more 

 than probable that Boisduval's specimen was an Icelandic one ; and 

 since this Icelandic locality was published by Guenee in 1852 



*I must state in fairness to the Secretaries that this Report in question was sent 

 for my correction before being sent to the various Magazines: and that I passed the 

 statement in question without noticing at the time that Dr. Mason's quotation was 

 put as if it were mine. — j.w.t. 



