1892.] 



THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



123 



last record of this species. This, however, is not the case, as A, 

 cvatcegi was taken near Ramsgate in 1888, and duly recorded both in 

 the "Entomologist," Vol. XXL, p. 184, and in the "Young 

 Naturalist." I wrote to the "Record" to point this out but Mr. 

 Tutt has not thought fit to correct his error. — C. A. Briggs, 55 

 Lincoln's Inn Fields. 



NocTUA FESTivA AND VAR. coNFLUA. — In Mr. Farreu's note on the 

 above, he refers to mv remark that Mr. Tutt wished to establish the 

 conflua of the Shetland Islands as a species, and says (ante, p. loi), 

 "I don't think Mr. Tutt wishes to do anything of the sort." In his 

 recently issued work on variation in British Noctuae, when describing 

 conflua (page 122), Mr. Tutt says ^'Noctua, Linn., conflua, Tr. (sub 

 species). The narrow and more pointed forewing of the Shetland 

 specimens known by the above name, as well as the difference in tint 

 from any form of f estiva, at once single this out as distinct from the 

 latter species. The line of demarcation between this f estiva is as 

 clearly definable as that between many other species generally 

 recognised as distinct." I am at loss to understand how any 

 impartial person who has carefully read the foregoing can come to any 

 other conclusion, than that Mr. Tutt does wish to establish var. 

 conflua as a species or sub-species. With regard to my statement, 

 that were Shetland forms oi f estiva and var. conflua mixed up it would 

 be impossible for the most experienced Entomologist to tell t'other 

 from which, he says that "If Mr. Hewett has any /^s/'/W from the 

 mainland which he cannot separate from the true Shetland var. conflua^ 

 all I can say is that they must be true conflua also, and he has proved 

 that it is to be taken on the mainland." If Mr. Farren will quote 

 what I really did say, and not what I did not say, he will find that I 

 have not admitted having any f estiva from the mainland which I am 

 unable to separate from the true Shetland var. conflua, nor, indeed, 

 have I seen any mainland /<?s^fm which I should have any difficulty in 

 differentiating from Shetland conflua. It is in separating the Shetland 

 form, or forms, of festiva from the variety conflua that the difficulty 

 occurs. — W. Hewett, Howard Street, York. 



[I have Shetland (Unst) specimens of this insect with the form of wing Mr. Tntt 

 gives to festiva, and I have an Aberdeenshire specimen with the same form of wing, 

 which is of similar hue to the so-called conflua from Shetland. — Ed. B.N.] 



Plagiodera armoraci^. — During a recent visit to town I had the 



pleasure of an introduction to this uncommon species of Chrysomelidae 



through the kindness of my friend Mr. Lewcock. Although the 



weather was of the usual severity of our English spring, and a bitter 



east wind was blowing, we armed ourselves with the necessary chisels 



and under my friend's guidance I was, after a short railway journey, 



deposited at our destination. A short walk along a lane, which later 



