THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



119 



the southern pale forms predominating, capsophila fine, albimacula, cucubali, 

 conspersa and its congener Barrettii, which Mr. Buckler satisfactorily proved 

 was not a Diantkacia, but an isolated melanic form of Luperina luteago, to 

 which genus I see you have properly transferred it. These are all well set 

 and choice specimens. Ccesia, Drysodea, and Polias succeed these, flavoci- 

 nata and templi ; Aprilinia, very large females ; Empyrea, fine bred series ; 

 and lucipara, bred from Lumley Cottage larvse lead to the Hadenas, which 

 are- all good. Solidaginis, the mrefurcifera, vetusta, exoleta, and rhizolitha 

 with some bred semibrunnea and petrificata, bring us to the Cucuttias. The 

 Rev. J. Hellins calls my attention to Scrophularice and Verabasci, I must 

 say by gas-light they are hard to distinguish, but a careful examination shows 

 the difference. Pale specimens of the Mullein Shark are often mistaken for 

 the rare species, but Scrophularice is a shorter and stouter moth, more like 

 Zycknitis. Ferbasci, by day-light, is a reddish brown insect, with a broad 

 costal streak gradually shading off to the ground colour. In Scrophularice, 

 the costal streak is much darker brown, nearly black, narrower than in Ver- 

 basci, and with a much more distinct outline below. Lychnitis is like Scro- 

 phularice in size and colour, but the costal streak is still narrower and the 

 inner edge still more distinct. Lychnitis has more of the pale ground colour, 

 and Verbasci less than the rarer species. I regret there are no records with 

 the specimens shewing where they were obtained, but I assume them to be 

 British examples, probably bred from the larvse presented to him by the 

 late Henry Doubleday, and described in the E.M.M. for 1867. Asteris, 

 absintkii, and chammomillce are all good, but the highly-prized gnapJialii is 

 absent. Venustula, from Epping— a good row, some nice fuscula, argentula, 

 and unca follow. There are no examples of Ostrina or parva, but parthenias, 

 notha, urlicce, and triplasia are bred specimens. A moderate orichalcea, with 

 ckrysitis, bractcea, festucce, pulchrina follow. Interrogationis, bred from larvae 

 found in Scotland by Dr. F. B. White, was full-fed June 11th and emerged 

 July 9th, others from G. Clark, of Rannoch. Pastinum are fair, one good 

 Craccce, some anomala, the common insects intervening being all represented. 

 A couple of lovely fraxini are marked " bred from Foreign ovse," Nupla, 

 promissa, and spcmsa, the "Crimsons" from the New Forest, Mi, glyphica t 

 and Mnea, bring us to the end of the Noctuce. I hope to complete my ac- 

 count of this collection with the Geometrce, &c. in another article. 



(To be continued.) 



